


Let Me Know Your Future Plans

by MacksDramaticShenanigans



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Kissing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awesome Peggy Carter, Birthday Party, Brief Jealousy, Cake tasting, Engagement, Feelings, Flowers, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Pining, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Romantic Comedy, SAUBB 2018, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Sharing a Bed, Stag Nights & Bachelor Parties, Stucky AU Big Bang 2018, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-29 02:39:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 59,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17799563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacksDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/MacksDramaticShenanigans
Summary: At the tender age of twenty, amidst a bottle of peach schnapps, fresh breakups, and the lingering fear of perpetual loneliness, best friends Steve and Bucky make a promise that if they’re unmarried and still single by the time they’re both thirty then they’ll marry each other.Fast forward ten years to Steve’s thirtieth birthday. Since Bucky joined the military and shipped out communication between the two has been sparse, and their promise is the last thing on Steve’s mind as he celebrates the big three-oh. That is, until Bucky makes an impromptu return and cashes in on that very promise with a proposal.Planning a wedding isn’t as easy as it looks, especially on a time crunch, with a limited budget, and oh yeah, when Steve’s childhood feelings for his friend start clawing their way back to the surface throughout the endeavor.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Stucky AU Big Bang fic!!! Ahhh, I’m so so so excited that I finally get to share this with you all!!
> 
> This fic has been a real journey, months and months and months of writing and editing and procrastinating and most importantly panicking about the deadline as it swiftly approached lol. But, we are here at last!! Posting time!! This fic is my baby, it’s the longest thing I’ve ever written and finished, and I’m actually immensely proud of it and of myself for being able to put this on the page and out for you all to read! As my Official posting date is March 1st, I will be posting one chapter every other day leading up to that day, in which the fic will be completed and the accompanying art will be shared!! I’m so excited for everyone to see it all and gush over how amazing it is with me.
> 
> I’ve wanted to write one of these kinds of fics for literal y e a r s and now I can finally say I have!! I originally signed up for this bang with a completely different idea in mind (the RomCom AU I’ve mentioned a few times before, which I will eventually get around to!!) but then I was scrolling through the notes on my phone looking for an old prompt I thought I saved there and I stumbled upon this one, the first 1k or so already written for a diff fandom/pairing. I reread what I had and fell in love with the idea again so I changed the names and revamped what I had so that it fit this fandom and the rest is history. 
> 
> I don’t mean to drag this author’s note out, but it wouldn’t be complete without a long list of thank you’s to every single person that has helped me with this fic, given input, answered my ridiculous questions, eased my worry, panicked alongside me, cheered me on, etc. etc. etc. 
> 
> First and foremost, I had the pleasure of working with two wonderful, fantastic, amazingly talented artists, [Indy](https://ribbonsflyingoutthewindow.tumblr.com/) and [Talli](http://hoozoo.tumblr.com/). I’m going to start by saying thank you for choosing my fic to create art for, to have the both of you interested in it enough to want to create for it means the world to me! Thank you for your enthusiasm and for putting up with my writers block when it hit and my constant rambly progress updates. And, of course, thank you for the art. I can’t wait to see it and for everyone else to see it too! I’m so lucky to have been able to work with you both and have you both create for this fic!
> 
> Next, I would like to thank my wonderful wonderful beta, [Hannah](https://nakedstucky.tumblr.com/). Hannah, my dear, thank you so so very much for doing the Dirty Work and catching all my mistakes (and there were plenty of those haha) and giving me great pointers on how to improve scenes or fun little ideas of details to add. And also, thank you for putting up with my constant rambly progress updates as well haha. God knows I sent you A Lot of those.
> 
> Thank you to everyone on every server, tumblr, twitter, slack, everywhere imaginable that ever helped me with this or cheered me on. There are way too many people to name them all, but you know who you are and I appreciate you all so much. You are all so wonderful and encouraging and supportive and this fic wouldn’t have been done without you all. So thank you for that. 
> 
> Also, on that note, I do have to give a special shoutout to the Bring Fic On babes on twitter bc y’all literally were the saving grace of this fic. I’d still probably be panicking over only being on the second chapter when I should have had 80% done if it weren’t for all of you haha. My ass was definitely whipped into shape bc of y’all and I will forever be grateful for that. Thank you or the constant encouragement and the mutual panics and the SPRINTS. ALL OF THOSE SPRINTS. 
> 
> And finally, thank you to the mods of this event for putting it on and for working so so hard to coordinate everything with everyone and make sure everything runs smoothly and everyone is happy. This was my first ever bang and I couldn’t have had a better experience with it, so thank you for that <3
> 
> The title for this fic comes from the song [Number One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyAqjL_-lY8) by Gregory Isaacs.
> 
> Just as a little disclaimer before we jump into it, I’m not married, never have been yet, and I’ve never been through the process of planning a wedding, and have actually never even attended one either. So everything I’ve written concerning all of that is a combination of a shit ton of google searches, asking lots of people lots of questions, any information I’ve accrued from wedding fics I’ve read, and my imagination. If it’s not very accurate… oops. But hey, this is fanfiction so creative freedom and all that shit right? Haha. 
> 
>  
> 
> Anyways, without further ado, I present to you all, my first ever big bang fic, Let Me Know Your Future Plans. Enjoy!!!

Steve nearly dropped the brown paper grocery bags he was balancing in his arms as the lights suddenly switched on, catching him off guard. He watched with a startled expression as several people jumped out from behind the sofa, from behind the potted plant in the corner of the room, or around the corner and out of the coat closet door, all with big smiles stretching across their faces as they shouted at him. 

“Happy birthday!” Tony called, popping up from his hiding spot behind the couch, two red cups in his raised hands. He held one out towards Steve in offering and clapped his hand around Steve’s shoulder once he took it. “So,” he started. “How’s it feel to finally be the big three-oh?” He asked, flicking his eyebrows and flashing Steve a blinding grin.

Steve accepted the drink from Tony, juggling it along with the two very full, very heavy grocery bags he was still holding. “Thanks, Tony. If I’m being honest, not that much different from twenty-nine,” he replied with a good-natured chuckle. “It’s just one more year,” he added as a second thought.

By now all of the party guests had gone back to mingling with each other again. They all had their drinks in hand and were munching on the buffet of food laid out on a plastic table they’d set up in Steve’s living room, each person presumably waiting for their own chance to wish the birthday boy a happy birthday.

“Oh, come on, Rogers. It’s not just another year. It’s thirty!” Tony said, throwing his arms up. “You’re officially an adult now. You can yell at the kids to get off your lawn, your back problems make sense now, and hey, you’re one year closer to your mid-life crisis,” Tony joked, causing Steve to roll his eyes. 

“I’ve been an official adult since I turned eighteen. You know, the age you’re a legal adult according to the government?” Steve responded, pointedly ignoring Tony’s quip about his back problems. They were very real and very valid no matter his age. 

“Yeah yeah, sure,  _ legally _ . But come on, Rogers. You’re not really an adult until you’ve hit thirty. So I’d just like to formally welcome you to the club— you’re now officially a member,” Tony grinned.

He didn’t bother letting Steve reply, instead just barrelled on. “There’s booze and some of those fancy fruit and cheese platters in the kitchen. Pepper insisted we have some of those instead of bowls of chips and candy. Kept saying that this wasn’t supposed to be some sort of high school rager,” Tony laughed.

Steve snorted at that. “Sounds great,” he said genuinely. “I take it you and Pepper planned this entire ordeal then?” He questioned curiously, lifting an eyebrow.

Tony nodded proudly at that. “Oh yeah. We paused our wedding plans for this, buddy. You should feel honored,” he joshed. “Nah, but really, it was pretty fun, putting this whole shindig together. We did have a little help, though. Sam was in charge of the invitations so if you see someone you don’t like it was all his fault, and if any of the decorations fall on you, you can thank Barton,” Tony cackled.

That elicited another snicker from Steve and he hoisted the bags higher into his arms so they didn’t slip, some of the mystery liquid in the red cup sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

“You know, I’m pretty surprised you didn’t question me when I told you to go out and buy three different kinds of chips and a couple packs of beer,” Tony pointed out, reaching over to bend back the side of one of the paper bags to make sure Steve made the correct purchases.

“Honestly, it didn’t seem all that weird to me considering you and Clint each can polish off an entire bag yourselves. Not to mention you can never have too much beer in the house,” Steve responded with a nonchalant little shrug.

Tony let the side of the bag flop back into position and just grinned at Steve, not bothering to do anything about the bags Steve was still trying not to drop. 

Steve was about to say something about them, or at least ask if he could sneak away for a second to set them down in the kitchen when the doors to said room burst open and out came Pepper. Her arms spread out wide when she spotted Steve and she brightened, her red lips parting in a delighted smile. “Steve! Steve, happy birthday!” She exclaimed happily, resting her palm against Steve’s cheek for a moment before looping both arms around his neck and pulling him into a slightly awkward hug thanks to the bags squished between them.

“Hey, Pepper,” Steve greeted happily. “Thank you for putting all this together. It’s really quite lovely,” Steve said, unable to properly return Pepper’s hug. “Aw, it’s no problem. It was tough not telling you, but we all managed to keep the secret. We all know how bad Tony is with secrets,” she teased, shooting Tony a pointed look, “so I’d count it as a huge success. Here, let me take these from you so you can go celebrate. I can’t believe you’re still holding onto them,” Pepper said, gesturing to the grocery bags. She clucked her tongue, most likely at Tony, and took the bags from Steve’s arms before heading back towards the kitchen. “Have fun, Steve!” 

With his hands freed, Steve was finally able to take a sip of the drink Tony had shoved into his hand. He was more than happy to find that it was some sort of fruity concoction— judge him, but fruity was his absolute favorite. Why should he drink alcohol that tastes like piss when these perfectly good drinks existed?

Tony had disappeared into the crowd, but Steve wasn’t left alone for very long before Sam and Natasha and Clint were swarming around him, choruses of “ _ happy birthday _ ” coming from all round.

“Happy birthday, man,” Sam said, clapping Steve on the shoulder before pulling him in for a brief hug. 

“Bet you didn’t see this coming,” Clint added with a laugh. “It was my idea to tell you it was just our weekly movie night,” he informed Steve proudly.

Beside Clint, Natasha snorted and rolled her eyes. “He’s quite proud of that,” she laughed, slipping her arm around Clint’s waist and squeezing his side. 

“Damn right I am,” Clint retorted, nodding firmly before ducking down to affectionately peck Natasha’s cheek. 

Natasha went a soft shade of pink at that— she never was the biggest fan of PDA— but Steve didn’t miss the way the corners of her lips twitched upwards. 

Steve was about to reply when a pair of arms suddenly snaked around his waist and a head nuzzled into his back, startling him enough that he almost dropped his drink. His brows drew together in confusion as he had no idea who it could be that was holding him so intimately. He was very single; not to mention the hands were decidedly female.

“Happy birthday, Steve!” A familiar British accent whispered into his ear, bringing a huge smile to Steve’s face. He whirled around in the person’s arms to be met with exactly who he expected to see.

“Peggy!” He exclaimed happily, wrapping his arms around the woman to pull her in for a proper hug. “You’re here! I thought you were all the way in London.”

Peggy just tilted her head at Steve, the gesture chastising him for expecting anything but her appearance. “I was in London, but I can’t very well miss such an important occasion for such an important person. You don’t just turn thirty everyday, now, do you?” She asked, her signature red lips curving into a bright grin. “I managed to snag a good amount of time off of work as well, so you’re not getting rid of me so easily,” Peggy informed with a smirk. 

Steve was ecstatic to hear the news. About ten years ago Peggy had started working as a big shot lawyer. Her career had taken off after the first few years, and eventually she’d had to relocate back to London for the job which meant that Steve didn’t get to see her as often as he would have liked to. Ever since Steve’s parents had passed away when he was a child, he’d always held his friends very near and dear to his heart. Peggy was one of the closest things he had left to a family; she was one of the most important people in Steve’s life so he tried to spend as much time with her as he could. Accepting the new job and moving across the ocean had been tough on them both, but they’d done their very best to keep in contact. They skyped on occasion and shared frequent phone calls. They even texted almost every day about anything that came to mind. But that didn’t come close to seeing Peggy in person.

“How’s Angie?” Steve asked. “Is she here too?” He peeked over Peggy’s shoulder to see if he could spot the spritely woman anywhere, but came up empty.

The smile on Peggy’s lips turned soft at the mention of Angie and she clasped her hands together. “She’s here,” she confirmed. “You know that one, always goes straight for the food at a party,” Peggy laughed airily. “She’s doing quite well, if I do say so myself,” she added, and her expression shifted into that akin to someone about to burst from holding back a secret. 

Steve immediately lifted his eyebrow at Peggy. “What are you not telling me?” He questioned.

Peggy bit down on her lip before a blinding smile split her face. “We got married,” she announced, holding out her left hand and wiggling her fingers so Steve could see the gorgeous diamond ring on her fourth finger. 

Steve’s eyes went wide and he couldn’t stop his own giant smile for spreading. “Peggy, that’s amazing! Congratulations!” He said. “You better have a damn good reason why I wasn’t invited to the wedding. You know I would’ve been on the first plane to London if you asked,” Steve joked.

“Oh, Steve,” Peggy laughed, pushing at his shoulder. “There wasn’t a big ceremony or anything. We eloped, so there was nothing to miss,” she explained. 

“Well that’s wonderful, Peggy. I’m really happy for you,” Steve replied, wrapping his arms around Peggy for another hug.

“Woah there, pal,” a fellow New York accent piped up. “That’s a married woman you’ve got there. You better be careful with her.”

Steve and Peggy both laughed as they split apart from their hug, and Peggy moved to Angie’s side. The plate in Angie’s hand was full of a little bit of everything from the buffet table and Peggy picked up a cube of cheese before popping it into her mouth. Angie pressed a quick kiss to Peggy’s cheek.

“You missed your chance, mister,” Angie teased, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she looped an arm around Peggy’s waist. 

“It’s great to see you, Angie” Steve responded, smiling at her. 

“You too, Steve. Happy birthday, ya old geezer,” Angie grinned, blowing Steve a kiss. 

“Thanks, Ang,” Steve laughed. 

“I hate to cut this short, but if you’ll excuse us,” Angie said, “I’d like to get my hands on a couple of drinks. Don’t worry, we’ll come find you a little bit later, Blondie,” she directed towards Steve. Then she turned back to Peggy. “Come on, English, I saw some of that good champagne I like.” 

Steve chuckled warmly, but saluted the two women before they scurried off towards the kitchen.

He spent the next half an hour or so making his rounds, thanking everyone for coming and for all the generous birthday wishes. He caught up with some work colleagues and chatted with some of his other friends, laughing jovially and reminiscing about the happy memories they all had together throughout the years.

He was in the middle of a conversation with Darcy and Carol— two of the women he worked with— when the sound of clinking glass towards the front of the room caught his attention. It was Tony, standing on the ledge in front of Steve’s fireplace, and shortly after the clinking of the glass in his hand stopped, he started to speak. 

“Hey, hi. Over here. Hello everyone. Thanks for coming, I’m sure Steve’s happy to see all your ugly mugs,” Tony started, grinning around the room. “I think everyone’s gotten their fill of the buffet table by now, and Steve’s at least said ‘hi’ to everyone, so I say we break out the candles and warm up our singing voices and then maybe Steve can open some gifts after that,” he announced. “What do you say? That sound good with everyone?” Tony asked. “Steve?” He questioned, pointing towards Steve.

“Works for me,” Steve answered, giving Tony a nod. 

“Great,” Tony agreed, clapping his hands together. Then he spread his arms out wide and tilted his head to the side as a smirk spread across his lips. “Let them eat cake.” And with that Tony hopped off of the step and wove his way through the throng of people so he could get to the kitchen, presumably to help Pepper bring out the cake. 

Steve felt an elbow nudge him in the ribs and when he looked to his left Natasha was standing there. 

“You know, Tony almost tried to make your cake himself,” she commented, her eyes sparkling and the corners of her lips quirking in amusement. 

Both of Steve’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at the revelation. “He did?” 

Natasha nodded and dropped her chin to her chest as she laughed a little. “It was an absolute disaster. I think more flour made it onto the floor than in the bowl,  _ oh _ , and if you think that was bad enough, Tony tried to let Dum-E do the mixing…” she trailed off and shook her head, even more laughter bubbling up. “There was batter  _ everywhere _ .”

Steve let out a big guffaw at that and his hand reached up to clutch at his chest. “Oh my god, tell me someone caught that on video,” he wheezed out between laughs.

Natasha was full on grinning by now. “I actually think Jarvis might have gotten it,” she said. “Pepper can probably find it without Tony knowing. I’ll have her send it over. It can be part of your birthday present,” she teased.

“Perfect,” Steve replied, flashing Natasha a thumbs up.

It was then that the kitchen doors went flying open an out came Tony and Pepper balancing a large sheet cake in between them. Steve was too far away to see what exactly the cake looked like, but he was sure that no matter what decor it had, it would still taste great. He watched as the groups of people split apart to make a path towards the buffet table for Tony and Pepper.

“Can someone…” Tony jerked his head towards the table. “Clear some space up, yeah?” He called out. 

Natasha grabbed Steve by the arm and pulled him towards the table, letting go of him once they got there so she could start pushing the platters to the side and stacking some of the empty containers. 

“Thanks, Nat,” Pepper said, and she and Tony carefully lowered the cake onto the now free space of the table. 

When Steve finally got a good look at the cake he actually let out a snort. It looked like an American flag because  _ of course  _ it did. He honestly should have predicted that Tony would do something like that. That’s what he got for having a birthday on July fourth. And for having Tony as a friend. 

The singing was, as always, an awkward affair. Steve didn’t know where to look or what to do with his hands so he just kind of stared down at the cake and watched some wax drip down the side of one of the thirty candles Tony insisted on sticking in the cake. Tony belted out the words loud and proud and completely unashamedly. Everyone else kind of mumbled along, definitely wildly out of tune, but it wasn’t ever about who had the best voice. It was the sentiment that counted most, and Steve definitely appreciated it. 

Finally, it was time to cut the cake. Tony picked up the knife only to have Pepper take it from him and shoot him a pointed look. “Why don’t you stick forks in the slices, m’kay?” She suggested. 

Tony grumbled a little, but reached for the pack of plastic forks to tear open without saying anything else. Steve had to stifle a laugh.

Steve, the ever selfless and generous man he was, decided to help pass the pieces of cake out before he even got his own. He, Tony, and Pepper worked in an assembly line sort of fashion with Pepper cutting and plating, Tony shoving forks into the cake, and Steve handing them out. It went quickly and in no time Pepper was passing Steve his own slice.

He gratefully accepted the cake from Pepper and took the fork Tony held out for him with a genuine smile and a polite  _ thank you _ . Steve sunk the prongs of his fork into the center of his slide of cake and carried the flimsy paper plate out into the living room where everyone else was gathered. There were people smushed together on the couches, spread out across the floor, and standing in all the corners of the living room. Rather than attempt to squish in between Clint and Natasha on the couch, Steve spotted Peggy and Angie sitting on the floor with their legs tucked to the side, feeding each other cake, and he decided to join them.

Only just before he was about to lower himself carefully to the ground, so as to not spill his cake, the doorbell rang. 

“Oh god,” Steve said, eyes flying towards the door before searching the living room for Tony. “Who else have you invited?” He asked, brows furrowing. 

Tony was already halfway there, and looking far too eager to answer the door. Steve set his cake onto the coffee table and started for the door himself. He was almost there when a dangerous thought crossed his mind. “Tony, this better not be strippers,” he warned. 

Tony laughed and something mischievous sparkled in his eye. “I don’t know who it is, big guy,” he responded, but Steve wasn’t so sure he believed him. “Remember, Sam made the guest list, so if it is strippers it’s all his fault.”

It only took Steve two more long strides before he was at the door, and he stepped up right as Tony started to swing it open. And when he saw who the mystery visitor on the other side of the door was, his jaw dropped right open in shock before the biggest, brightest grin consumed his entire face. 

“Bucky?” He near gasped, his voice colored with pleasant surprise. 

Bucky just grinned real wide and shrugged a shoulder as if to say  _ yeah, it’s me _ . “Hey Stevie. Didja miss me?” 

A happy peal of laughter bubbled up and Steve was suddenly striding across the threshold so he could throw his arms around his best friend and hug him tight. Steve buried his nose into Bucky’s neck and breathed in, welcoming the familiar scent. The weight of Bucky’s arms wrapping back around Steve immediately put Steve at ease, and it felt all too similar to the feeling of coming home. 

When they broke apart, Steve let his hand run over Bucky’s shoulder and down to his elbow as he took a moment to assess his best friend. He had more muscle than before he left, which was the first thing Steve noticed. He’d noticed it when Bucky had hugged him back, had felt it first hand, but seeing it too made it all the more real. He was still lean, but muscled and lean. A good combination. His hair was longer too. It was almost to his shoulders now, definitely much longer than army regulations, which meant that he had to have been back for some time now. It looked good on him, framed his face just right and made his eyes pop too. He was sporting the beginnings of a beard as well— yet another feature he was pulling off very well.

There was a lot that was different about Bucky Barnes, but the one thing that hadn’t changed a bit was that crooked smile of his. The cocky, overconfident one he always flashed left and right in their youth— the one that had drawn Steve in and never let him go. It was just as bright as it always had been and just as contagious too. 

“You look… wow. You look great, Buck,” Steve complimented, his brain unable to form anything other that simple, stupid sentences. “Army treated you well, then?” He asked.

Bucky laughed— and that was something else that hadn’t changed either, thank god. It was just as full-bodied, just as melodic as ever, and Steve was glad to see that hadn’t been taken from him in the war. “More or less,” he responded. “Got a bit of nerve damage in my left arm and some pretty nasty scarring too, but I’m here in just about one piece, so we’ll count that as a win.”

Steve chuckled along. “So how long have you been back then?” He asked, stepping back and gesturing for Bucky to step inside. 

Bucky crossed the threshold into the house, and Steve shut the door behind him. “Mm somewhere around a month give or take a few days,” he answered. 

“A month?” Steve repeated, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. He then turned a curious expression on Bucky. “How come this is the first time I’m hearing from you then? A month’s a long time,” he said.

A sheepish expression pulled at Bucky’s features and he offered Steve a meek smile. “I wanted to call you earlier, but it took me longer than expected to…” Bucky waved his hand vaguely through the air, “adjust.”

Steve nodded in understanding. “That’s fair,” he replied. “I’m just glad you’re here now,” he added, slinging an arm around Bucky’s shoulders.

“Me too,” Bucky agreed, looping his own arm around Steve’s waist in return, his hand resting against the center of Steve’s back.

Tony had long since disappeared back into the apartment, but he materialized suddenly with a slice of cake in his hand that he held out for Bucky. “Get some sugar in you, Barnes. I bet you missed it,” Tony quipped.

Bucky accepted the cake and rolled his eyes at Tony. He and Steve shared an amused look. “Just because I was fighting in a war doesn’t mean I was dead, y’know.” 

Tony just shrugged his shoulders and started to walk away backwards. “I don’t make the rules. Just eat the cake.” 

“Well, well, look who decided to actually show up,” Sam’s voice rang out, and Steve looked away from Bucky long enough to see Sam rising from his perch on the edge of the coffee table, his arms folded across his chest with an unimpressed expression painting his face. “Thanks for RSVPing,” he said sarcastically, though there was a hint of a smile on his face that deemed it harmless banter.

“You’re very welcome,” Bucky snapped right back with just as much bite. 

“So, Buck,” Steve cut in, pulling Bucky down onto an empty space on the couch. “You still have your old apartment?” 

Bucky used the side of the fork to spear a piece of the cake and brought it up to his mouth, taking the bite before speaking around it. “Nah, I’ve been crashing at Becca’s since I got back. The person that took over the lease isn’t planning on leaving any time soon, but that’s fine. It’s been nice being with my family for a bit. I’ve got to start looking for my own place though, Becca’s getting sick of me eating all her food,” he laughed.

Steve chuckled along, but lifted a curious eyebrow towards Bucky. “What, no pretty lady that would take you in? No knight in shining armor?”

Bucky snorted at that and shook his head, some of his hair falling into his eyes. He reached up to brush it out of the way before answering Steve. “If that’s your way of asking if I’m seeing anyone then the answer is no, you nosy punk,” he grinned. “Wasn’t with anyone before I left and I haven’t really been looking since I got back. Kinda hard to find someone who would wanna put up with three a.m. nightmares and a half functioning left arm anyways,” he shrugged, clearly trying to brush it off. 

Steve’s lips turned down and he wanted to reach out a give Bucky a comforting touch. To tell him that he shouldn’t be so hard on himself like that. He was the most natural charmer Steve had ever known, and he was definitely quite easy on the eyes, so he wouldn’t have any trouble on either of those fronts. And besides, nightmares could be handled, and a half functioning arm was significantly better than one that didn’t work at all. “Oh, don’t go there, Bucky. Anybody would be plain stupid to turn you down, and you know it.” 

Bucky didn’t say anything back to that, but the way his face turned soft at Steve’s words was response enough. It made him feel warm inside to know that Bucky believed him enough to not argue. Of course, then he decided to turn the question on Steve, and Steve instantly took it back. He’d much rather Bucky argue than ask him about his nonexistent love life.

“How about you then?” Bucky asked. “I’m surprised Tony was the one that threw this party for you. I woulda expected your partner to be in charge of that,” he said. “Unless he and you…” Bucky trailed off, and it took half a second before Steve’s eyes were widening and he was shaking his head vehemently. 

“ _ No _ ,” Steve responded immediately, shutting Bucky down without hesitation.

The wicked curl to Bucky’s lips scared Steve and he knew what was coming next, but he was too late to stop it. 

“Don’t think I forgot that comment you made about him when you were drunk that one time. What was it?” Bucky asked, feigning that he forgot and was trying to desperately wrack his brain to remember. He suddenly snapped his fingers and a smirk spread across his lips. “Oh right.  _ I’m one of the _ — how’d you phrase it?” Bucky asked, scratching overdramatically at his chin. “Oh—  _ favored few _ ,” he snorted, “ _ to have seen Tony fuckin’ Stark in a tank top _ . Didn’t you say you’d take his biceps home to your mom? That they sure would treat you right?” Bucky was full on cackling now, nearly doubled over from laughter. 

Steve’s face was burning, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before attempting to regain his composure and will the blush away. He was just thankful that Tony hadn’t overheard Bucky. His ego didn’t need to be hearing Steve’s drunken appreciation. 

“Bucky, come on. It’s my birthday. Why’d you have to bring that up?” Steve whined, pressing his lips together in a disappointed sideways glance at Bucky.

Bucky just snorted and clapped a hand over Steve’s shoulder. “You don’t get to play the birthday card with me, pal. I’m immune to it, you of all people should know that,” he laughed. “But seriously, Stevie. There isn’t anyone?” 

Steve shook his head. “I may not physically be a scrawny ninety pound kid anymore, but that doesn’t mean my game isn’t one still,” he joked.

“Come on Steve, don’t be like that” Bucky responded. “Even as a scrawny ninety pound kid you had pretty good game. I mean, you were quite the romantic in elementary school, always picking flowers for everyone, trying to hold all their hands on the playground when all they wanted to do was play tag or go across the monkeybars,” he teased, earning a light shove from Steve.

“Hey there,” Tony suddenly interrupted, leaning over the edge of the couch enough that he was a touch too far into both Steve and Bucky’s space. “I hate to cut this little reunion short and all, but it’s time to come back down to Earth. Y’know where you’ve got a room full of people waiting for you to open some of their gifts,” he pointed out.

Steve felt himself flush a little at that. He hadn’t realized he’d been talking with Bucky— and only Bucky— for that long. “Right, right,” Steve replied, nodding at Tony. 

Tony just showed Steve a quick thumbs up and then curled a hand around his mouth to attempt to amplify his voice. “Alright, party people. Birthday boy’s gonna open some presents now,” he announced.

“Oh, actually,” Bucky started, his hands coming up to pat at the pockets of his jacket. “Can I go first?”

“You got me something?” Steve asked, his voice colored with surprise. It was one thing to have Bucky show up at his birthday party after all that time apart, but to bring Steve a gift too? He definitely hadn’t expected that. “Just you showing up was the best kind of gift I could have asked for.”

Bucky grinned, but rolled his eyes playfully at Steve. “It’s your thirtieth, Stevie. That’s pretty damn special. I couldn’t miss it, especially not when I have this important of a gift for you,” Bucky said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. His hand reappeared with a small box wrapped in brightly colored paper. It was a tiny little thing with an even tinier bow on it, and Steve’s mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure out what it could contain. He could feel the anticipation coursing through his veins and the curiosity whirring in his brain, and he couldn’t wait to open it.

Bucky passed it over, and the second Steve closed his hands around it he started tearing off the paper. Underneath the paper was a blue velvet box. Before he could open it, however, Bucky plucked it right out of his hands. Steve let out an affronted grunt, but Bucky just shushed him. 

“You gotta have the full effect,” he explained. And then he was slipping from his perch on the couch down to his knee, right there in front of Steve. 

Steve’s eyes went impossibly wide, and if he thought he was shocked seeing Bucky at his door, that was nothing compared to how surprised he was now. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care very much. Not when he had Bucky Barnes down on one knee, opening the box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. 

Behind Steve, Peggy gasped and Angie let out a quiet squeal while the rest of the room fell silent. 

“Bucky?” Steve asked in a shaky, disbelieving voice, unable to say much else. “What… what are you doing?” 

And Bucky, the god damned charmer, just flashed Steve his signature grin and chuckled. “Do you remember when we were twenty years old? And we were both fresh out of relationships ‘cause you and Peggy split so she could focus on her career and Dottie dumped me ‘cause I wasn’t spending enough time with her?”

Slowly, Steve nodded. He remembered that time all too well and the feelings that went along with it— sadness for both of them, but also a tiny hint of relief that he didn’t have to see Bucky with somebody else anymore— but he didn’t see where Bucky was going with this. 

“Do you remember how we split that bottle of peach schnapps and got absolutely hammered?” 

Steve nodded again.

“And do you remember the promise we made?”

Suddenly it dawned on Steve, and he found himself unable to stop the laugh from bubbling up or the smile from tugging his lips up. 

Bucky let out a small whoop, clearly happy that Steve finally remembered.

“We promised each other that if we were both unmarried and still single by the time we were both thirty years old that we would marry each other,” Bucky reminded. “I know it’s been a while since we made that promise, but a promise is a promise, and I don’t very much like breaking ‘em. So what do you say, punk?” Bucky asked, thrusting the ring box out towards Steve. “Marry me?” 

“You know I don’t like breaking promises either,” Steve started, and Bucky’s grin grew.

“Is that a yes?”

Steve paused, scrunching his face up in an over exaggerated  _ I’m thinking about it _ expression. 

The last serious relationship he’d been in had been with Peggy ten years ago. Ten years was a long time to be lonely. Sure he’d dated around a little bit over the years, but it never resulted in anything past a first date, maybe second if he was lucky. Prospects were looking pretty damn hopeless, but here Bucky was, shining like a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark sea of desolation. He may be Steve’s last chance at a meaningful relationship, even if it wasn’t very conventional. And in a way he’d finally get to see what it would be like to be on the receiving end of Bucky’s attention and affection like he’d always hoped back when he had a crush on his best friend. 

All things considered, marrying Bucky seemed like a pretty damn good idea.

It wasn’t like he had anything to lose in the process anyway. So with a cocked head Steve gave a nonchalant shrug. “I guess it is, jerk. Yes.” he answered, unable to go a second more before the grin split across his face. 

Bucky rose to his feet and reached out to take Steve’s hand. He pulled the ring from the box so he could slip it onto Steve’s finger, and once it was securely there, the entire room erupted into applause. It startled Steve, causing him to jump. He’d forgotten that they weren’t the only two in the room. 

A hand suddenly clapped down over his shoulder and Steve turned to see Tony grinning brightly at him. “Turning thirty  _ and _ getting engaged today. Damn, Rogers, you’re good,” he commented. “Congrats, congrats. I wish you two all the best. Oh, and speaking of the best,” Tony continued, and Steve knew exactly where he was going with this. He nearly rolled his eyes, but managed to restrain himself. Bucky, on the other hand, didn’t even bother trying to hide it. “I know exactly who you should make your best man.” Tony glanced around the living room, pretending to be searching high and low for the perfect candidate. “Oh, right,” he chuckled. “Me. There’s no one better for the job. I mean, this,” he pointed between Steve and Bucky and then jerked his thumb back towards himself. “I did this. All me. I made it possible— you’re welcome, by the way.”

Steve and Bucky were both wearing rather amused expressions, but before either of them could start letting Tony down easy, Sam butt in on the conversation.

“Hang on a second,” Sam said, jumping to his feet and striding over to the little half circle Steve, Bucky, and Tony had going on. “You put me in charge of the guest list, so isn’t it really thanks to  _ me _ that this could happen?” He pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, a smug look on his face.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders and the corners of his lips pulled down in a quick, casual expression. “The invitation was addressed from him,” he confirmed.

“Alright, alright, no need to start a civil war over this guys,” Steve interjected in amusement.

Tony pressed his lips together and shot Bucky a small glare. “You may have just gotten engaged, Buckaroo, but its not your birthday so zip it.” 

Bucky snorted but held his hands up in surrender. “Just stating the facts.” 

“Okay, but if you’re going to be that technical, Tony, then isn’t it really thanks to  _ me _ ? I mean, we’re all here because it’s  _ my _ birthday, right?” Steve ribbed, a good-natured grin spreading across his lips.

“What happened to not starting a civil war?” Tony exclaimed, throwing his hands up. His eyes narrowed at Steve and he pointed at him. “I’m only letting you win this because it’s your birthday,” he said.

“Alright, Tony,” Pepper said, sidling up to her fiance. “They just got engaged. Table your best man bidding for another time,” she said, patting Tony’s bicep before turning to Steve and Bucky. “Congratulations you two, this is so exciting! If you ever need some contacts for anything wedding just let me know. Tony and I have talked with so many different people about so many different things so I’m sure we have names for someone you could use!” Pepper offered brightly. 

“Thanks, Pepper,” Steve replied genuinely.

“Mazel tov,” Tony said finally, and then Pepper was sweeping him away so they could let others congratulate Steve and Bucky. 

“I always had a feeling you two were going to be endgame,” Natasha said, the corners of her lips quirking up. 

Steve and Bucky shared a slightly confused glance before turning back to Natasha to await further explanation.

“What’s that supposed to mean exactly?” Bucky asked, his brows pulled together in confusion. 

Natasha didn’t bother to elaborate though, just smirked at the two of them. “It’s not the most conventional endgame,” she shrugged, “but it still is endgame. I’m happy for you both,” she said, her head cocked to the side. She took a step closer to Steve and reached out to grab onto either one of his shoulders, then leaned up so she could press a kiss to his cheek. When she pulled back she turned to Bucky and kissed his cheek as well.

“Nat,” Bucky said slowly. “I’m not sure what you think is happening here…” he trailed off.

“We’re just following through on our promise,” Steve added, though Natasha didn’t look convinced. Just kept smirking at the two of them as if she knew something that they didn’t. 

“Oh, bollocks,” Peggy chimed in, shaking her head. Just like Natasha, Peggy too had a knowing look on her face, and the second she turned it on Steve he felt as though she were staring right into his soul and could see all of his secrets. His cheeks grew hot at the insinuation, and he quickly stamped down on that thought before anything else could happen with it. “You wouldn’t be agreeing to it if it was just a silly little promise. It has meaning to you both,” Peggy explained, her voice full of conviction. She reached out to take one of Steve’s hands in her left hand and one of Bucky’s in her right. “You two may not be in love, but you do love each other. You’re best friends, you know each other better than anyone else, and no matter what, that’s a damn special bond to have with someone. Marriage only solidifies that bond even more, and I think that’s lovely.”

“Marrying my best friend was the best decision I ever made,” Angie added from Peggy’s side, and the two women shared a glance so soft and so intimate that Steve almost felt like he was intruding. It was over in a flash though, and Angie’s sunny disposition was radiating full forced towards Steve and Bucky again. “I think this is going to be great for you two.”

“You know, Angie,” Bucky started, surprising Steve by slipping his arm around his waist and pulling him snugly against his side. Steve fit his own arm back around Bucky and couldn’t stop the grin from overtaking his face. “I think you might be right about that.” 

After Peggy and Angie abandoned them in favor of swinging around Steve’s living room to the upbeat song that started to play, other guests took their opportunity to approach the pair and congratulate them on their engagement. 

Darcy wasted no time reaching for Steve’s hand and peering at it from several different angles as she examined the band on his finger. “You done good, Steve. A looker  _ and _ he knows his jewelry,” she gasped, wiggling her eyebrows at him. 

Clint pulled both of them into hugs on two separate occasions, congratulations bubbling out of him like an overflowing pot. He seemed to be so excited about their engagement that he even made a comment to Natasha about how all of their friends were getting married and when would it be their turn. Natasha had genuinely looked taken by surprise at that, and she even spluttered for a second before finding her words, but Steve hadn’t missed the hint of yearning that had flashed in her eyes. 

It took a while, but eventually the excitement of the moment wore off enough that everyone returned to their plates of food and the friendly conversations they’d been engaged in previously. Steve was thankful for that. Not that he didn’t love all of his friends, but his cheeks were starting to ache from the constant smile— though genuine, it still was tiresome—and if he didn’t receive another hug in the next few weeks he definitely wouldn’t be complaining. Plus there was something he wanted to talk to Bucky about. 

The kitchen was blessedly empty when Steve pushed his way into it. His countertops were full— of half filled chip bags, of empty deli platters, of stacks of paper plates and plastic cups— but it was an organized chaos, thanks to Pepper.  It wouldn’t be too hard to clean up was the gist of Steve’s analysis. 

“So what did you wanna ask me about?” Bucky questioned from his stance near the refrigerator, pulling Steve out of his thoughts and back down to reality. He had a can of soda in his hand. Steve hadn’t even noticed him grab it from the fridge.

“Right,” Steve said, clapping his hands together before leaning against the edge of the granite counter. “I have a proposal for you.”

Bucky snorted. “Wait a second, didn’t I already take care of that?” He joked, a charming, toothy grin on his face. 

Steve pressed his lips together and sent Bucky an unimpressed look. He rolled his eyes fondly though. “Not that kind of proposal, jerk. I was thinking about what you said earlier,” he corrected. 

“Mm, I said a lot of things earlier,” Bucky replied, cracking the top of his soda can open before lifting it to his lips for a long sip. “Which one’re you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about when you said that you needed to start looking for your own place,” Steve clarified, and Bucky nodded in understanding.

“Right, yeah. Becca’s damn close to kicking me out,” Bucky laughed. “I think if I steal one more of her oatmeal pies she’ll actually do it. She’s ruthless when it comes to those things.”

Steve bared his teeth as he sucked in a breath and tilted his head. “Hey, oatmeal pies are fantastic. I don’t blame her. I’d probably kick you out too if you ate my last one,” he said.

A mock outraged expression popped onto Bucky’s face and he set his soda can down so he could clutch at his chest in shock. “You wouldn’t,” he breathed. 

“Oh, I so would,” Steve replied, dimples popping from his close-lipped smile. “Course, you’d have to live with me first,” he tacked on, trying to sound nonchalant about it. 

“Is this you asking, Stevie?” Bucky questioned, lifting a brow at Steve. He reached for his soda can and took another sip— his way of trying to mask the excited smile that was beginning to grow. 

“As a matter of fact, it is me asking,” Steve answered with a firm nod. “I’ve got an extra room, you need a place, and since we’re engaged now it only makes sense for us to live together. Might as well learn all of each other’s odd living quirks before we’re past the point of no return.”

“I’ll have you know, Steve Rogers,” Bucky started, pointing a finger firmly at Steve, “that I’m a fucking saint to live with. If there was an award for best roommate, you bet your ass I’d be the sole winner.” 

“Is stealing the last oatmeal pie in the definition of best roommate?” Steve teased, earning a sharp jab of Bucky’s elbow to his ribs. 

“I only took it ‘cause it was my sister’s. If we only had one oatmeal pie left I’d split it right down the middle and share it with you, Stevie. S’what best friends do,” Bucky replied genuinely. 

“So is that a yes then?” Steve asked, excitement already thrumming through his veins at the prospect of living with his best friend. He and Bucky had always planned to room together at some point in their life. Those plans had been put on hold, however, when Bucky decided to enlist in the army and proceeded to get deployed quickly thereafter. Now that the idea was an option again, and a very tangible one too, Steve’s hopes were rising. 

The grin that spread across Bucky’s face was answer enough, but Bucky had to confirm it. “‘Course I’ll move in with you, punk. Soon as this party’s over I’ll start packing. Becca’ll be thrilled.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! Here's Chapter 2!! <3

The moving process had been quick and painless for the most part. After three days of living together, Steve and Bucky found themselves shifting from that not-quite-settled state into something a bit more comfortable, but there was still a ways to go.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Steve ambled out of his bedroom and down the hall towards the kitchen, carefully avoiding the stack of boxes he’d stubbed his toe on the previous morning. Once he entered the kitchen he made a beeline for the coffee machine, moving on autopilot as he filled the pot with water and measured out enough coffee to put into the filter. As Steve worked, he couldn’t help but keep glancing down at the gorgeous ring on his finger. It seemed to wink back at him every time he shifted his hand. The weight of it was still unfamiliar, but not unwelcome. Steve kind of liked how it felt, resting against the knuckle of his fourth finger. Natural, like it was meant to be there. 

The coffee machine whirred to life after Steve pressed the button, and while he waited for it to brew, he held his left hand out in front of him so he could keep examining the ring. He hadn’t anticipated the happiness that flooded through him whenever he looked at it, nor had he expected to be hit with such a strong wave of nostalgia. The ring brought back memories of the way things used to be between him and Bucky; of how close they had once been, before Afghanistan had stolen Bucky away. Steve missed his best friend, and he hoped that if this marriage did anything besides ensure that they weren’t single forever, it would revive that bond they’d once had. 

There was a tiny part of Steve that wondered whether this whole thing would dig up the feelings he once harbored for Bucky. When he was about thirteen he had started looking at boys the same way he looked at girls, thought about them the same way too. It wasn’t until he was fourteen that he made the connection that the feelings he had towards Bucky went a little beyond strong platonic ones and edged into more of the  _ iwanttokissyouandholdyourhand _ kind. He hated to admit it, but he probably wouldn’t have even made the connection if it hadn’t been for Natasha practically tearing the metaphorical blindfold from his eyes for him. When Peggy came along it had been easy for him to move on from his unrequited feelings for Bucky— or at least easy to push them back until they were barely there. He’d loved Peggy, he really had, but after he and Peggy split, his feelings for Bucky briefly reared back up, and it was then that he realized that they might have reached the  _ ohmygodithinkiloveyou _ point. That had been ten years ago though, and Steve had had plenty of time to come to terms with them and work on getting over them— which he liked to think he did a good job of. 

Frankly the idea of them coming back was a bit of an absurd thought. Steve’s life wasn’t a movie— the feelings he had ten years ago wouldn’t come back just because Bucky was back in his life and they were getting married. Steve shook his head at the idea and chuckled quietly to himself.

“Aw, shit. You laughin’ at the ring?” Bucky’s voice suddenly rang out. “I thought I picked one you’d like,” he said, sounding genuinely concerned.

Immediately Steve shook his head, wanting to kill the thought that he didn’t love the ring. He quickly dropped his hand to his side though, the beginnings of a faint blush blooming across his cheeks at having been caught admiring the new piece of hardware. 

“No, Bucky. It’s perfect,” Steve started, a soft smile curling onto his lips. He was about to say more, to tell Bucky that he really liked the two-toned design of it and liked the way it was simple, yet still had its own flare to it, but when he pulled his eyes from the ring and let them flicker up to finally look at Bucky, his words caught in the back of his throat and promptly died on his tongue at the sight of him. 

He was leaning casually up against the doorframe, arms loosely crossed over his chest. Bucky’s hair was sleep tousled, sticking up all over but still looking soft enough that Steve kind of wanted to run his fingers through it. But what really got Steve was the fact that Bucky was standing there in nothing but his tiny boxer shorts. They looked like they were about a size too small for him— not yet too tight, but definitely too short; they stopped a few inches above mid-thigh rather than a little bit above the knee like most boxers did. It was insanely distracting, and it didn’t help at all that not even a full minute ago he’d been thinking back on how he used to be in love with the man. His feelings may have disappeared, but his eyesight was still perfectly intact, and he could appreciate a damn good looking body when it was so wonderfully displayed before him.

“So I did a good job then?” Bucky asked, the smile returning to his face. His features brightened and he looked so lovely when he was happy, especially with the sunlight streaming through the blinds and hitting him just so. 

Steve swallowed hard and tore his eyes away from Bucky’s legs, bringing them back up to a safe level. He wanted to save himself at least a shred of dignity. He was suddenly very thankful that it was morning and that Bucky wasn’t awake enough to be fully aware of everything happening around him. Had Bucky caught him he would’ve teased Steve mercilessly for it. 

“Very good job,” Steve answered earnestly, turning back towards the coffee machine to hide his dark cheeks. “It’s a beautiful ring. You couldn’t have picked anything better,” he reassured. 

The legs of a chair screeched across the flooring as Bucky pulled it out so he could take a seat, and Steve busied himself with gathering the sugar from the pantry and the creamer from the fridge for when the coffee was ready. He swung open the cabinet right above the machine and procured two mugs from the top shelf, then set them carefully on the counter. 

“So now that I’m all moved in, I was thinking we could start figuring out how we wanna do this thing,” Bucky said, pointing between Steve and himself. “I’ve never had to plan a wedding before, so I’m not really sure where to start,” he admitted. 

A loud beep emitted from the coffee machine, signaling that the coffee had finished brewing, and Steve carefully removed the pot and started to pour the scalding liquid into the two mugs, steam billowing up around him as it hit the bottom of the mug. “And what makes you think I’ve had to plan one before?” Steve countered, throwing a grin over his shoulder at Bucky.

Bucky held up his hands in surrender. “Fair enough. You haven’t been helping Tony and Pepper plan theirs?” He questioned. 

Steve shook his head. “Nah, that’s Rhodey’s job. He’s Tony’s best man so he’s been helping out a lot with that. Sam’s told me some stories,” he laughed, and spooned two scoops of sugar into his mug and just one into Bucky’s. “I think Pepper hired a wedding planner too,” he added, stirring the sugar in. He added a splash of creamer to his coffee and then started to put everything away.

“We don’t need one of those, right?” Bucky queried. “I mean, we’re not planning some big fancy thing, right? So it can’t be that hard to plan what we want. We’ve just got to get a guest list together, pick a place, and find someone to bake us a nice cake and cater the thing. That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Yeah, that sounds doable. Plus if we don’t hire a wedding planner we can save some money. Maybe even splurge a little more on the food or the location,” Steve suggested. He carefully lifted each of the mugs in his hands and slowly navigated his way over to the kitchen table. Once the mugs were securely on the tabletop he gently slid Bucky’s over to him.

“Thanks,” Bucky said, wrapping a hand around the mug and pulling it closer. He leaned down, quick to brush his hair behind his ear before it fell forward and dunked into the coffee, and blew on the liquid. “Why don’t we get a notepad and start making a list of what we need to do,” he suggested. “We can jot down any ideas we have too.” 

“That’s a good idea,” Steve agreed, nodding as he took a small sip of his coffee so as to not burn his tongue. “I think I have a notepad somewhere in here,” he said and rose from his chair so he could search for the paper. He made his way towards the fridge and checked the side to see if he had any spare pieces of scratch paper magneted to the side. There, Steve spotted one, but upon closer look he realized that it had the beginnings of his grocery list on it, so they couldn’t use that. “Oh!” He exclaimed and suddenly pulled open the first drawer next to the sink. And there, right at the front, was a blank pad of paper with a pen sitting conveniently right next to it. “Here we go,” he murmured to himself as he grabbed the two items and closed the drawer.

Steve waved the pad and pen through the air as he slid back into his chair and he placed the notepad on the tabletop before uncapping the pen. He brought it down to the paper and wrote  _ Steve and Bucky’s Wedding Plans _ at the top, then underlined it twice. “Alright,” he started. “So let’s start with the basics— what we know we need— and then we can go into the details of it all. Sound good?” 

Bucky flashed Steve a thumbs up and gave a firm nod. “Perfect,” he agreed. 

“You said earlier we need a location, a guest list, a cake, and catering,” Steve recited, writing each one down after he said it. “We’ll also need to get our tuxes,” he added, scribbling  _ tuxedos _ at the bottom. 

Bucky snapped his fingers and pointed at Steve. “Right,” he said. “How could I forget those?” He asked with a peal of incredulous laughter.

Steve grinned and laughed along. “Wouldn’t want you showin’ up naked to your own wedding, now,” he jested. 

Bucky snorted and lifted a brow questioningly at Steve. “What? You wouldn’t wanna see all this,” he teased, waving a hand in front of his body, starting up near his chest and moving down. To Steve, the gesture was an invitation for him to ogle Bucky’s bare upper half again, and his eyes followed the motion eagerly. It was probably a good thing that the table was hiding Bucky’s lower half from view.

“Well,” Steve started, pausing to take a sip of his coffee. “As your future husband— objectively speaking— shouldn’t I be the only one who gets to see,” Steve copied Bucky’s earlier hand motions towards himself, “all that?” He questioned in response, surprising himself with how suggestive it sounded. He had to fight hard against his body to keep the blush from springing to his cheeks.

A pleasantly surprised sound slipped from Bucky’s mouth, and the corners of his lips quirked up in an amused, cheeky smile. “Oh okay. Okay, Stevie,” Bucky replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “So you wanna see me naked then,” he said, not questioned, and hid behind his coffee mug. 

Steve let out a squawk and his face felt like it was flaming. “That’s not what I said,” he tried to argue, but Bucky wasn’t having it as he shook his head.

“That’s what I heard,” he said, shrugging his shoulders in a  _ what can you do _ kind of way. 

“Bucky!” Steve groaned, dropping his forehead against his arms on the table. It was both out of exasperation with his best friend and an attempt to shield his blush from Bucky. The fact that he was so easy to make blush was a constant target of Bucky’s teasing when they were younger. 

A hand curling around his own caused Steve to immediately jerk up, his eyes flying to where Bucky had covered his hand over Steve’s on the table. “Don’t worry, Steve. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I like seeing me naked too,” he grinned, winking. 

“You’re the worst,” Steve replied, deadpan, as he looked straight into Bucky’s eyes. 

“You love it,” Bucky countered, blowing Steve a kiss through the air. 

Steve just rolled his eyes and pulled his hand from Bucky’s so he could pick up the pen again. “Alright, enough about your nakedness,” he huffed. “We’ve got a wedding to plan. What else do we need?” He asked, trying to steer the conversation back on topic.

“Lemme see that,” Bucky responded, holding his hand out for the notepad, which Steve graciously passed over. Bucky took a few seconds to scan over the list they’d started, nodding to himself after each bullet point. “I think we’ve got most of the basics covered,” he said. “Unless you can think of anything else, I think we’re good to move on and start figuring out the next item of business.”

But just before either of them could ask what exactly they wanted to discuss next, a knock at the front door stopped them both.

Bucky’s brows immediately furrowed, and he directed his confused expression to Steve to see if he had an explanation for the mysterious visitor. 

Steve himself was perplexed for about half a second before he realized who it was waiting on the other side. “Oh, that must be Peggy. She told me the other day that she had something for me but forgot to bring it by when she was over here on my birthday,” he clarified, starting to stand from his chair. 

A blanket of understanding fell over Bucky and he nodded. “Gotcha,” he replied. “Why don’t you go get that then, and I’ll go put on some more clothes. Don’t wanna be indecent in front of the lady,” he commented, rising from his chair as well. 

“Yet another reason why you’ll have to wear a suit at our wedding,” Steve quipped, throwing a cheeky wink at Bucky, who let out a bellowing laugh as he slinked out of the room. 

Chuckling to himself, Steve made his way to the foyer and flicked the lock before yanking the door open. On the other side, as expected, was Peggy. She was completely done up for the day— unlike Steve who was still in his pajama pants and ratty t-shirt— her royal blue dress free of wrinkles and hair perfectly coiled and pinned back.

“Hello, Steve,” she greeted happily, her red lips curving into a wide smile when she saw him. “Good to see you again. I see you skipped your run this morning,” she laughed, moving to step inside.

Steve moved back and pulled the door open wider so she could do so. “Hey, Pegs,” he replied, returning the smile. “I did, yeah. Figured a day off wouldn’t hurt. It’s nice to sleep in every once in a while,” he laughed, running a hand through his hair. 

“I can imagine,” Peggy responded. “I bet you’ll find it much nicer too once you and Bucky are married,” she added, her eyes sparkling mischievously. 

Steve’s features scrunched up in confusion. “What do you mean by that?” He asked curiously. 

Peggy just gave a casual shrug of her shoulder, a nonchalant expression settling over her features. “Oh, well, it’s just that I know that whenever I wake up all snuggled into Angie’s arms, getting up— to go for a run, no less— is the absolute last thing on my mind,” she answered coyly. 

From the look in her eye and the tone of her voice, Steve could tell that she knew exactly what she was insinuating, and he honestly didn’t understand why. It’s not like he and Bucky were involved— romantically or physically. They were just two best friends getting married to stave off inevitable loneliness. Two best friends that wouldn’t be sharing a bedroom, or a bed, for that matter, anytime soon. Anytime at all, really. 

“Peggy,” Steve started, a disapproving look on his face. “You know me and Buck aren’t, like, boyfriends or anything, right?” He asked, trying to make sure that she knew. 

Peggy didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, I know that,” she responded with a nod. “You’re fiancé’s,” she corrected with a cheeky grin. 

“That’s not what I—”

“I know what you meant, Steve,” she interrupted, reaching out to pat his chest twice. “I also know  _ you _ ,” she added. “Whether or not it’s like that right now doesn’t much matter.” She tilted her head and brushed a curl from her eyes. “I work at a law firm, Steve. I know evidence when I see it, and I see plenty of it here,” she said, a certain finality in her tone that told Steve that any arguments would be shut down. It was better just to smile and nod, even if he had no idea what to take of her elusive messages. 

“I’ve got a little present for you,” Peggy said, a close-lipped smile spreading over her face. In her hand was a small gift bag, pink, blue, and yellow striped, with a tuft of light green tissue paper sticking out between the handles. “I meant to bring it to your birthday party, but Angie and I were in such a hurry to leave I forgot to grab it on the way out,” she explained. “Just think of it as an engagement present now.” She held the bag out for Steve to take.

Steve accepted the gift from Peggy and bounced it up and down in the air a few times, trying to get a feel for its weight. Then he held the bag up to his ear and gave it a little shake.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, just open it, Steve,” Peggy huffed out, sticking a hand on her popped out hip. 

“Okay, okay, I’m opening it,” Steve responded, chuckling lightly. He reached into the bag, pushing aside the tissue paper, and closed his fingers around a sleek, square box with  _ Savile Row _ embossed on it. He pulled it out and set the bag to the side so he could use both hands to open the box. The string holding it together came apart easily, and once it was gone, Steve lifted the lid to it to reveal two compartments. On the left was a glossy, cream colored piece of fabric, rolled up and tied off with a small black bow to keep it stored neatly. Upon further examination Steve realized that it was a pocket square. On the right side of the box sat a black cushion, and resting atop it were two gorgeous cufflinks. They were a matching shade of cream and had a thin navy blue ring around the edge. “Peggy, wow,” Steve murmured, staring down at the items in awe. 

“There’s more,” Peggy chirped, tapping the compartment in the center.

Steve used his thumbs to push the two halves of the box open, and once they were out of the way the third part of the set came into view. Folded up neatly in its compartment was a beautiful silken navy bowtie. “Oh, god, Peggy, this is amazing,” he gushed, looking up from the bowtie towards Peggy. “It’s all so beautiful. Thank you so much. It means a lot,” he said earnestly.

Peggy smiled warmly at Steve and rested a hand on his arm. “Of course, Steve. I happened to be in West London and I saw the set in the window and thought of you. Turns out I made quite the god decision purchasing this. It’ll come in handy,” she grinned.

Steve chuckled. “That it will,” he agreed. “Now there’s one less thing I have to worry about for the wedding,” he added good naturedly.

“Ooh, whatcha got there?” Bucky asked as he walked out from around the corner, his eyes trained on the box in Steve’s hand. “Hiya, Peggy,” he added, nodding towards her. He had his mug of coffee in one hand and was munching on a half-heartedly schmeared bagel in the other, but he still curled an arm around Peggy in a half-hug. When he pulled back, Steve noticed there was a smidge of cream cheese on the corner of his mouth, and he had to resist the urge to reach over and wipe it away with his thumb. They were engaged, but even that seemed just on the edge of too domestic considering their situation. Had it not been for Peggy standing right there, Steve might not have been able to find that self control.

“Lovely seeing you again, Bucky,” Peggy responded, smiling sweetly at him.

Bucky had put on a robe, Steve noticed. It was a thin cotton thing, tied loose enough in the front that Steve could see that he had put on a t-shirt as well. The robe stopped just below Bucky’s knees, and the rest of his calves were bare, which meant he was still in just those tiny boxers underneath. That was a thought Steve didn’t exactly need at the moment. 

“What’s that?” Bucky asked again, shuffling into Steve’s space so he could get a look at what he was holding. “Oh, damn,” he said with a whistle. “That’s really nice. You pick that out?” He asked, and Peggy nodded. “You’ve got a good eye,” he commended. 

“Thank you,” Peggy responded. “And what are you two boys up to on this fine morning?” She asked, casting a curious glance between the two of them. 

Bucky took another bite of his bagel and chuckled. “We’ve started planning our wedding,” he informed her.

Peggy gasped and clapped her hands together excitedly. “Ooh, that’s wonderful! I love a good wedding plan. Can I hear what you’ve got so far?” 

“Sure thing. We’ve got a notepad in the kitchen with all our ideas,” Bucky answered, jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen. 

The three of them made their way through the foyer and into the kitchen, and Peggy beelined straight for the table to snatch up the notepad. She slipped into one of the empty chairs, and Steve watched as her eyes darted back and forth across the paper, taking in their admittedly short list so far.

“We kind of just started it not long before you got here, so it’s not exactly finished yet,” Steve tried to explain, taking his own seat. Bucky followed suit beside him. 

Peggy let out a laugh and stuck a hand on her hip while shaking the notepad at Steve and Bucky. “I’ll say,” she said, clucking her tongue. “You two have missed so many things!” she exclaimed. 

“Missed?” Bucky repeated, looking at Peggy like she’d just grown a second head. “What do you mean we’ve missed things?”

“We’re not planning on having one of those big circus weddings, Pegs,” Steve added, hoping that that would reassure her, or at least help her understand their list a bit better.

“Oh, boys, you’ve barely scratched the surface with this, I’m afraid,” she sighed, shooting them a sympathetic look. “Even with a small wedding there are still some things that are absolutely necessary that are missing from your list,” she explained. 

“Like what?” Bucky challenged, jutting his chin out. 

“Like an officiant, for one,” Peggy retorted in an unimpressed tone. She sent him an equally as unimpressed look and lifted both eyebrows at him as if daring him to go on. 

“Oh,” Bucky said dumbly, and that seemed to shut him up for now.

“And of course, you’ll need some sort of florist to put together centerpieces for your tables. And to provide boutonnieres for the both of you. And for your wedding parties as well,” she continued. “Oh, and you can’t forget that you’ll have to find someone to design and print your invitations and have them mailed out. I know we live in the age of advanced technology and all but you can’t send out a mass text about this kind of an event,” she tutted. “Have you decided on a date yet?” She asked, an expectant look on her face. 

“Uh, not yet,” Steve replied slowly, afraid to hear her reaction to that. 

“Probably soon, though,” Bucky added before shooting Steve a glance to gauge his reaction. 

Even though they hadn’t discussed a date yet, Steve was happy that they seemed to be on the same page regardless. Like Bucky, he too thought that the sooner they could have the wedding the better. 

Peggy just sighed disdainfully. “Well, if you were thinking of anything within the next six months then good luck to you. Most places book appointments months, or even years, in advance. There’s no way the two of you will be able to get anything done without someone who knows the ropes and has connections that can get you into places.” 

“Well, shit,” Bucky blurted out, and Steve couldn’t help but snort at that. “I mean, I was kind of hoping we’d do this thing before six months. The longer its dragged out the more stressful it gets, right? So I figure the sooner the better,” he added.

Steve tipped his head to the side and jerked his elbow out so that he could nudge Bucky in the ribs. “Aw, you big sap, you just can’t wait to marry me, can you,” he teased, tilting his head towards Bucky, a smirk curling at his lips.

Bucky rolled his eyes, but his features turned soft. He slung an arm around Steve’s neck and pulled him into his side in a half hug. “You know it, baby,” he countered, shooting Steve a wink.

“Cute,” Peggy commented, that knowing expression making its way back onto her face.

Steve just pressed his lips together tightly and avoided eye contact with her. He nearly buried his face into Bucky’s shoulder to do so, but realized that would probably only fuel the fire.

“We should probably figure out when we wanna get hitched then, Stevie,” Bucky said, tapping his fingers against the rim of the coffee mug in front of him.

Steve chewed on his lower lip, a pensive look settling over his features. “Guess that kinda depends on what’s available when, I suppose,” he replied. “Especially if what Peggy’s saying is true.”

“It is,” Peggy interjected, flashing Steve her signature  _ I-know-what-I’m-talking-about _ look.

“D’you think…” Steve started, and paused before rewording. “Pegs, you seem to know quite a bit about all of this— much more than me and Buck do, at least. Would you… would you maybe want to help us plan this thing?” 

A flattered look passed over Peggy’s face, and a small laugh bubbled past her lips. A hand flew up to cover her mouth in surprise. “Oh, Steve,” she started, tilting her head appreciatively to the side. “That’s a very generous offer, but I really don’t think I’m cut out for something like that. I’m afraid I’m not as educated about it all as I may seem.”

Steve’s face fell a little, and he nodded in acceptance. Bucky’s hand came up to rest against his back anyways, and Steve leaned back into the comforting touch. Before he could assure Peggy that it was alright and thank her anyways, she continued speaking. 

“Don’t look so torn up about it,” she chastised, clicking her tongue. “You’re in luck, though. My cousin works as a wedding planner. She was all too disappointed when she found out Angie and I eloped instead of having a big party, so I’m sure she’ll be thrilled if I bring her a new client to make up for it.” Peggy held out a hand, palm up, and wiggled her fingers expectantly. “Pen?” She requested.

Bucky reached out to grab the pen and set it in Peggy’s waiting hand. She pulled the pad of paper towards herself and clicked the pen open before jotting down a string of numbers and the word  _ call _ in all caps, with four exclamation points underlined twice for good measure. Once she finished writing she tapped the number with the end of the pen and sent a firm look towards Steve and Bucky. “Call. Her,” she instructed, punctuating her words with a pause between them. “Be sure to let her know I sent you, too. She might even give you a family and friends discount if you do.” 

“We’ll call,” Steve assured her, taking the pad of paper back to look over the number. “Trust me, we need the help too much not to,” he chuckled.

Bucky kicked his ankle underneath the table and pouted at Steve. “Hey now, way to have confidence in our ability,  _ babe _ ,” he said, pretending to sound offended.

Steve snorted and turned an unimpressed gaze on him. “Sorry,  _ babe _ ,” he started, returning the sentiment, “but I don’t have confidence in our ability. You heard Peggy, she’s not even a wedding planner and she already pointed out how much we’re missing.” 

“We were just starting the list,” Bucky defended, but quickly held his hands up in surrender when Steve narrowed his eyes at him. “Alright, alright. You’ve got a point. We’ll call.” 

“Well,” Peggy announced, pulling their attention from each other— where they were already arguing like they’d been married for years— and back to her. “As much fun as this has been, nitpicking your wedding plans, I should probably be off. Angie’s expecting me back for lunch, and I’ve got a conference call in an hour.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Pegs,” Steve said as he rose from his seat to walk her to the door, Bucky right on his heels.

They stopped in the threshold of the door, Peggy on one side, Steve and Bucky pressed shoulder to shoulder on the other. It all felt very domestic to Steve, seeing a guest out together like this, and part of him wondered if this was what married life would entail, or if this new togetherness was just a post-engagement aftereffect. It was certainly something he could get used to. 

“Let me know how the call goes,” Peggy said. “If she gives you a hard time about that discount, you be sure to tell me and I’ll give her a good talking to,” she chuckled good-naturedly and stepped forward to pull Steve into a parting hug. 

Steve squeezed her back gently and pressed a kiss to her cheek before they parted and Peggy shifted towards Bucky to hug him as well.

“See you boys soon,” Peggy called over her shoulder, sending them one final wave before disappearing around the corner.  

Once Peggy was gone, Steve shut the door and turned towards Bucky, who was still standing pretty damn close. Without Peggy’s watchful eye around to catch him, he let himself stay there and revel in the warmth radiating off of his body. 

“So you wanna actually call Peggy’s cousin?” Bucky asked, leaning up against the closed door. He crossed his arms over his chest, his elbow bumping into Steve’s side in the process. 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Steve replied with a nod. “I don’t know shit about planning a wedding, and I hate to burst your bubble, pal, but neither do you.” 

Bucky pushed his bottom lip out in an over exaggerated pout and his eyebrows drew together in a way that made Steve want to reach out and smooth down the wrinkles between them. He didn’t, of course. Kept his hands to himself like the responsible adult he is. 

“You know what, Steve Rogers?” Bucky asked, lifting his chin defiantly. “I could be the best damned wedding planner this world has seen if you let me.” He started to walk back into the kitchen, but paused under the archway. “But, it’s probably best we call the planner. You couldn't handle my skills.” A smirk pulled at the corners of Bucky's lips, but Steve didn't get a chance to challenge him before he slinked back into the kitchen.

“What skills?” Steve ribbed after him, following him over to the table.

“Wouldn't you like to know, punk,” Bucky grinned, and slid the pad of paper in front of Steve. “You wanna do the honors or me?”

“I’ll do it,” Steve replied, taking his phone off of the charger and pulling up the phone call keypad. “S'better if I do the talking,” he added teasingly. 

Bucky rolled his eyes and placed his elbows onto the table, leaning forward. “What, am I not charming enough?”

And, oh boy, was that the furthest thing from the truth. Bucky was charming, Bucky was too charming. He'd only been back in Steve's life for a few days and he already had Steve wrapped around his finger once more. It was all too easy to fall victim to that megawatt smile and his easy charisma. Truth be told, it was fucking with Steve's head a little. 

“Oh, you're plenty charming, Buck,” Steve reassured with a chuckle. He held back the urge to reach out and pat Bucky's hand, which was lying there against the table only a few inches away. “I'm just afraid you'll tell her to fuck off and that you're gonna plan it.”

“Nah, I wouldn't do that,” Bucky said. His eyes softened, smile turning tender and earnest. Much to Steve's surprise, it was Bucky that closed the distance between their hands and placed his palm over the top of Steve's. “I want this to be perfect.”

Steve's heart didn't melt. It didn't. Bucky sounded so earnest, so genuine. Steve couldn't help but return that soft smile, and he twisted his hand up so he could give Bucky’s a squeeze. “It will be.”

With that, Steve tore his eyes away from Bucky before he could get too lost in an endeared trance and directed his gaze to the phone in front of him. He quickly typed in the number Peggy wrote down and pressed his thumb over the call button. He tapped the speaker button next. 

It only rang three times before the tone sounded and a professional, yet friendly woman’s voice piped up. “Hello, thank you for calling Sharon Carter’s Wedding Plans, this is Sharon Carter speaking, how can I help you?”

And, wait a second— Sharon Carter? As in  _ the _ Sharon Carter: wedding planner extraordinaire and host of her very own TLC show? Holy shit. Steve remembered watching her show with his mother when she was still alive. They’d spend every Sunday afternoon sat in front of the television fawning over the gorgeous gowns and exquisite decorations and the way Sharon Carter herself was so put together and professional. And now there he was, speaking with her on the phone and about to ask her for help on  _ his very own wedding _ . 

God, would his mom have been jealous. 

His eyes were wide as they flickered over to Bucky, who had an equally surprised look on his own face. Hints of amusement were starting to seep through the longer Steve fish-mouthed at the phone, leaving Sharon Carter waiting. 

“You gonna answer her or what?” Bucky whispered, and Steve immediately shook himself out of his stupor and cleared his throat a little before answering. 

“Uh, oh wow, hi,” Steve replied dumbly, pressing his lips together and squeezing his eyes shut for a brief, exasperated moment. How stupid of a response was that? “Hi, sorry. I wasn’t expecting  _ you _ to answer. I mean, when Peggy said her cousin is a wedding planner she failed to mention that you’re  _ the _ wedding planner. Oh my god, you share the same last name, how could I have not made that connection? Wow,” he rambled, and god, this was not off to a great start. 

Beside him Bucky snorted into his hand, and Steve delivered a sharp kick to his shin to shut him up. He’d already made a big enough fool of himself, he didn’t need Bucky’s teasing making him even more flustered. 

On the other end of the line, Sharon chuckled politely. “Ah, Peggy must have sent you, then,” she said. “I tend to get that a lot when that happens.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Steve trailed off and flapped his hand through the air as he tried to find the right phrasing. When his words failed him he just apologized again. 

“It’s alright,” Sharon replied, good-naturedly. When she spoke next, her tone was more professional, her business side coming out. “So, what can I help you with? I’m assuming you’re planning a wedding, yes?” 

Bucky plucked the phone from Steve’s hand and brought it closer to himself. Steve sent him a pout. He was perfectly capable of collecting himself enough to answer her question, but Bucky didn’t seem to think so. “Yes, ma’am, we are,” he said.

“Oh,” Sharon said, clearly surprised by the unexpected change of voice. “You must be the fiancé, then, Mr…” she trailed off expectantly. 

“Barnes,” Bucky supplied. “Bucky Barnes. And my finacé here is Steve Rogers. We’re getting married.” 

The way Bucky delivered the last sentence and the self-satisfied little smile that curved onto his lips after he did so made Steve’s heart stutter. Being referred to as “my fiancé” by Bucky felt too nice, too natural. Steve quickly shoved those feelings down, not wanting to even attempt to figure out just what that meant. 

“Steve Rogers,” Sharon repeated, recognition evident in her tone. “I know that name. Peggy’s mentioned you a few times before.” 

“All good things, I hope,” Steve chuckled nervously. He and Peggy had had a great relationship, and they’d ended things mutually and on good terms way back when. She was one of Steve’s closest friends; she was  _ family _ . He didn’t think she had anything bad to say about him, but who knew? 

“Of course. You mean a lot to her,” Sharon replied, settling Steve’s nerves. “So, you two are getting married. First of all, I believe a congratulations are in order… congratulations!” She exclaimed. “Second, I imagine that since you’ve given me a call, you’re looking for some help putting everything together.” 

“Yes, definitely,” Steve answered right away, earning another snort and an eye roll from Bucky. “Peggy took one look at our plans so far, and… well, she gave us your number.” 

Sharon laughed. “You’ve come to the right place then. I think setting up a face to face consultation would be best here, that way we can discuss the details, like your budget, the size of your guest list, what kind of feel you want your wedding to have, and I can show you some things that might fit well.” 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Steve replied. “Do you have a specific date in mind?” 

“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Sharon chuckled. “But, I’m looking at my calendar right now and it looks like I have an opening for a consultation on Friday at noon, if that works for the two of you?” 

Steve glanced sideways at Bucky for confirmation. Bucky simply shrugged. What a help he was. 

“Perfect,” Steve told Sharon, reaching for the pen so he could jot  _ Friday _ down next to Sharon’s phone number. 

Again, Bucky used Steve’s distraction as a chance to snatch the phone from him so he could ask a few question of his own. “Is there anything we need to do to prepare for the consultation?” 

“I’m glad you asked,” Sharon answered. “Usually I have all my clients put together a pinterest board or just gather ideas of anything you like that would work for the kind of wedding you want to have. It’s just so I have a better understanding of the kind of vibe you’re going for and I know what to work from.”

Steve scribbled  _ pinterest board _ onto the notepad as well. 

“That should keep us busy until Friday for sure,” Bucky replied with a charming laugh. “We haven’t exactly figured much of that out yet, so…” he trailed off. 

“It looks like you’ve got some homework then,” Sharon said. “Nothing you choose or add there is permanent, so just load it up with as much as you can. Even if you’re not sure, just pin it for good measure,” she advised. “It’s a lot easier for all of us if you have more rather than less.” 

“That shouldn’t be a problem, ma’am,” Bucky said. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Sharon responded. There was a low murmur in the background, and she said something out of earshot of the phone. “I’d love to keep chatting with you two, but it looks like my next client’s just arrived, so I’m afraid I’ve got to run. It was lovely speaking with you both, and I can’t wait to help you plan the perfect wedding!” 

“Thank you so much, Ms. Carter. We look forward to meeting with you on Friday,” Steve chimed in. 

“And I you,” Sharon agreed. “Have a great rest of your day, and get started on that homework.”

Bucky tapped the end button on the call, killed the app, and set Steve’s phone face down onto the kitchen table. “So… Pinterest?” He said, turning a curious eye onto Steve. “You know anything about it?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments are my bread and butter, don't be shy! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3! Chapter 3!!! Here you are my lovelies! <3 Enjoy!

Putting together a Pinterest board of wedding ideas was significantly more difficult than either Steve and Bucky expected. For one, neither of them had ever used Pinterest, so the making of and learning how to use the new account took some time. 

They spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon chipping away at their board little by little. Neither one of them bothered to get properly dressed for the day, and Steve put his energy into focusing on intently examining all of the pins instead of Bucky’s legs and thighs whenever that flimsy robe of his fell open. 

There were so many aspects that went into a wedding, they learned, and Pinterest had pages and pages and pages of posts for each. All kinds of themes and color schemes and centerpieces jumped out at them. Not to mention a good deal of posts advertised gorgeous white gowns and “easy, elegant hairstyles for brides-to-be”— both of which were not needed here. Frankly, the whole thing was kind of overwhelming. Steve was half convinced that just a few hours scrolling through it all could teach him all he needed to know to become a wedding planner himself. 

Regardless, they did have fun putting it together. Steve enjoyed pointing out ridiculously over the top decorations and laughing at them with Bucky. And the screwed up confused face Bucky made every time they stumbled upon some complicated decoration that neither of them could figure out made Steve grin. 

“Calm down on the rustic shit, Steve,” Bucky whined as Steve hit  _ save _ on another burlap and twine infused centerpiece concept. “We're not having this thing in a barn.”

“You don't know that,” Steve replied smartly, scrolling down the page until he found another rustic decoration. He clicked on it and hit  _ save _ . He didn't even like it that much, but he wanted to press Bucky's buttons a little more. “A barn could be all we can afford.”

Bucky knocked Steve's hand from the mousepad. “No way. I ain't marrying you in a barn.” Bucky's nose scrunched up at the mere thought. “I dunno when you became such a goddamn hipster that your dream wedding looks like something Old Macdonald would have dreamed up.”

Steve snorted and took the laptop back from Bucky. “I never said I wanted to get married in a barn,” he pointed out. 

“You coulda fooled me,” Bucky retorted, gesturing towards the screen with a cheeky grin. 

“They're just ideas, Buck,” Steve said, guard coming up a little. He didn't mean for it to, but he genuinely did think some of the decorations were nice, and it was just as much his wedding as it was Bucky's. “Besides, I think they look nice.” 

Bucky leaned into Steve's side, shoulders pressing together before he looped his arm around Steve's shoulders. “I’m only messing with you. They're not that bad,” he said. “We can figure out how to include them without making it look like a farm.”

Steve tilted his head to rest against Bucky's, and he smiled appreciatively at him. “Look at us, making compromises already.”

Bucky chuckled. “We're gonna make the best damn married couple. Hell, we'll be so good we're gonna give Peggy and Angie a run for their money.”

“Don't let them hear you say that,” Steve joked. 

“Never,” Bucky agreed, laughing full-bellied. “I like my balls attached to my body, thanks very much.”

Steve snorted and tried his best not to imagine Bucky’s balls. He willed away the thoughts and the blush threatening to rise up and turned back to the screen, suddenly very interested in the polaroid guest book idea that popped up.

A few more pages of wedding searches and a handful of saves later and Bucky was getting antsy— Steve could tell. He was bouncing his leg beneath the table and drumming his fingers against the top. 

“Hey,” Bucky suddenly said, knocking his knee into Steve’s beside him. “Hey, Steve.”

“Hm?” Steve asked, dragging his finger across the trackpad and not looking away from the screen. He clicked next page and waited for it to load.

Bucky knocked his knee into Steve’s again and nudged his shoulder against Steve’s. “Wanna call it a night on this and order some Chinese food?” He asked. “I got a craving for some chow mein.”

Steve’s stomach gave a timely grumble, earning a laugh and a knowing grin from Bucky. “Sure,” he said, nodding. “I know a good place down the road that delivers.”

“Yesss,” Bucky cheered, pumping his fist through the air. He picked Steve’s phone up from where it was still lying face down next to the notepad and entered the passcode with ease. “What’s the number?”

  
  


“So,” Steve started, setting the bag of Chinese food takeout onto the coffee table. As he untied the handles and started to pull the containers of delicious smelling food out, he cast Bucky a sideways glance. “You said it was nerve damage?” He asked. “In your shoulder, I mean.”

Steve winced as Bucky’s left hand faltered halfway to the food, and his shoulder tensed up, an unsavory twist to his lips. He knew it was a hard question to ask, a tough conversation to have, but it was one they needed to have. He’d been trying to figure out the right moment and the right way to bring it up, but it became evidently clear that there just wasn’t going to be a good way to ask something he knew Bucky didn’t want to talk about. 

Bucky shifted on the sofa, leaning forward enough to start opening a few of the containers and scoping out the insides. He repeated the process with two before he finally found the one he must have been looking for. “Oh, yeah, nerve damage,” he confirmed, nodding a little. 

Steve pushed the empty plastic bag aside and picked up a pair of chopsticks and one of the containers for himself. “How’d it happen?” 

Stuffing his chopsticks into the container, Bucky fished out a chunk of chicken and a few noodles, stuffing them into his mouth. He leaned back into the cushions and chewed thoughtfully. “It happened about three months ago,” he started after he swallowed the bite.

Three months. Bucky had only been back home for one month, Steve remembered him mentioning that at his birthday party. Part of him wondered if that was even enough time for him to recover.

“My unit was split up in a few humvees; three of them. I was in the second. The route we were taking… it was supposed to be safe. No one was supposed to get hurt.” Bucky paused and shook his head. His eyes were cast down at his food, and he poked uninterestedly at it. “Sorry,” he mumbled, taking in a breath.

“Don’t apologize,” Steve replied, touching Bucky’s knee in a comforting manner. “Take your time.”

Bucky sent Steve a tight lipped, grateful smile and ran his fingers through his hair. His tongue darted out to wet his lips before he continued. "The humvee in front... it hit an IED. Completely unexpected. It was a... fucking strong one, too. It just blew the first one to bits. The blast impact from it sent the one I was in rolling and it threw me from my seat." Bucky folded his hands together and hung his head. "Right out of the vehicle and straight into a rock." He smacked his left fist into the palm of his right hand, a mirror or the accident. "It crushed my shoulder. It was a miracle it wasn't my head."

Steve winced at Bucky's description of the accident, his brows pulling together in sorrow. "I'm so sorry, Buck," he said. God, what a horrible  _ horrible _ thing. He was so thankful that Bucky hadn't suffered any brain damage; he knew how common that was with IED related injuries. It truly was a miracle. The need to touch Bucky, to be physically connected to him in some way, to know he was here in one piece and safe was overpowering, and Steve reached a hand out to cover Bucky's.

Bucky unfolded his hands and twisted the left one up so he could properly take Steve's hand. If the way the pained expression on his face softened a little was anything to go by, it seemed he needed the touch just as much as Steve did.

"I took some shrapnel from the blast too," Bucky continued. "Smashing into the rock dislocated my shoulder, and between that and all the shrapnel I took, it was bad enough to do some pretty good damage to the nerves in my shoulder and the upper parts of my arm." Bucky stretched his left arm straight, still holding onto Steve's hand. "I was real lucky it wasn't bad enough to have to amputate, though. Came pretty damn close to it, but I had an outstanding team of medical professionals helping me out."

"That's... that's real lucky," Steve agreed, unable to find any other words for it. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Bucky went through during that time. It must have taken a real toll on him, physically and mentally. It was no wonder it took him so long to finally contact Steve after coming back.

"I can, uh, show you. If you want," Bucky offered, already starting to tug at the left sleeve of his shirt.

"Only if you're comfortable with that," Steve replied, not wanting Bucky to feel like he had to expose himself so vulnerably like that. Steve knew all too well the dysmorphia that came with certain aspects of one's body, scars and all.

But Bucky didn't shy away. He sent Steve a reassuring smile and nodded. "I am," he assured, letting go of Steve's hand to reach for the hem of his shirt.

Steve mourned the loss of Bucky's hand in his only briefly before he was filled with a completely new emotion. His heart swelled in his chest at the fact that Bucky felt comfortable enough, that he  _ trusted  _ him enough to share his scars with him. It was a tough thing for anyone to do, and he knew it meant a lot that Bucky was willing to open to to Steve like this.

He watched as Bucky pulled the shirt over his head, slowly revealing his shoulder. Steve's eyes were immediately drawn to the puckered flesh, scars whitish pink and very evident. When Bucky shifted forward, Steve could see the exact place his shoulder had come into contact with the rock.

Steve hadn't even registered that his hand had lifted from his side and was hovering a few inches away from Bucky's arm until Bucky's voice rang out in the silence. "You can touch it," he said, his gaze genuine and encouraging as Steve met it.

Carefully, Steve closed the distance and placed his hand over Bucky's shoulder, feeling the wrecked flesh beneath it. He brushed his thumb down a particularly nasty looking scar, tracing it all the way down to its end. "Can you feel this?" Steve asked, curious. "Can you feel my hand?"

"Yeah," Bucky answered, "but touch is dull. Imagine always having to wear gloves. It's like that, but just in my shoulder and my arm. I can feel touches, they're just... muffled. Quiet."

Steve nodded in understanding. "That makes sense," he said. "Did it take long to get used to?" His palm continued to glide over Bucky's skin, gently feeling and taking it all in.

"Yeah, sort of. There's, like, a constant tingling feeling throughout my whole arm. Sometimes it's incredibly noticeable, and other times I kind of forget about it. It's worse at night, though. Can't really sleep on that side without it giving me trouble."

Steve's fingers trailed over the length of Bucky's arm, all the way down to his wrist. He curled them around the delicate bones there and used his leverage to pull Bucky towards him. Steve threw his left hand around Bucky's right shoulder, and he dropped Bucky's wrist so he could do the same with his right, pulling Bucky into a tight hug.

Bucky was caught off guard by the sudden gesture, but he melted into it quickly, accepting Steve's affections easily.

"I'm real glad you're okay," Steve mumbled into Bucky's neck, hugging him that much tighter.

Bucky's arms came up to wrap around Steve in return, holding him close to his chest. "I am too."

The two of them clung onto each other, basking in each other's presence, in each other's touch. So many unspoken sentiments passed through the embrace, the  _ I missed you _ 's and the  _ I'm so glad you're safe now _ ’s pouring into it. It had been so long since they'd been able to do this, to properly hold each other. It was nice. Bucky's arms felt like home; they always had to Steve.

Eventually they split, the hug doing wonders to lighten the atmosphere. It was Bucky who decided to change the topic and erase the rest of that heaviness sitting in the air. "Enough about me," he said, grinning at Steve. "What have you been up to since I've been gone?"

"Oh, y'know, been focused on work," Steve answered, giving a casual shrug of his shoulders before he dropped the big news. "I got promoted to the head of my department now, so that's been keeping me busy."

Bucky's face lit up at that. "No way! Steve, that's amazing!" He exclaimed, giving Steve a push  for being so nonchalant about it. "Head of your department, huh? That's incredible. You've wanted that for a long time."

Steve couldn't help the bashful duck of his head and the pleased smile that pulled at his lips at Bucky's praise.

"That mean you get to boss Carol and Darcy around now?" Bucky asked, flicking his eyebrows up teasingly. He knew how the three of them worked together, all good-natured jokes and friendly trash talking. For Steve to have a leg up on them in their relationship only gave him more ammo for their banter.

"You know it," Steve replied, chuckling. "I just give them their assignments though, they still have to report to the big boss at the end of the day. Hell, so do I."

"That doesn't erase the pay increase," Bucky pointed out, grinning.

"Very true," Steve said. "Oh, hey, speaking of Carol and Darcy, they offered to design our save the dates so long as they're invited to our wedding."

Bucky snorted. "Like we wouldn't invite them," he scoffed. Carol and Darcy were some of Steve's closet friends, and by proxy close with Bucky too. Even if they hadn't made this offer they would've made the list. "They gonna charge us for it?" Bucky asked, lifting an eyebrow. His tone was light and joking, but Steve knew he was being serious too.

Steve shook his head. "Don't think so. Carol said it could be their joint wedding present to us," he chuckled. "I think we should take them up on it. Darcy knows her way around page layouts and Carol's got an outstanding eye for color schemes. They really know their shit when it comes to design."

"I would hope so, they are graphic designers afterall," Bucky teased, earning a shove from Steve. "That works for me, though. I'd love to have them design the save the dates."

"Great, remind me to shoot them a message tomorrow about it."

"Sure thing." Bucky started to reach for his abandoned chow mein, but his hand froze halfway to it, and his lips spread into a grin. "Hey," he started, a glint in his eye as he shifted in his spot to face Steve. “We should call my family,” he suggested. His left hand came up to rest on Steve’s shoulder for support and he lifted his right thigh enough that he could reach into his back pocket and fish out his phone. He waved it through the air and waggled his eyebrows at Steve. “We gotta share the news.”

Bucky's family. Right. Steve had almost forgotten that the Barnes family hadn't yet been informed of the news of their engagement. For some reason he figured that Bucky, being the family man he is, had already called them up and told them. Though, if that had been the case Steve would have already gotten a call from Winnie or Becca by now. The Barnes women never shied away from giving Steve a call, especially when such exciting news was involved. They would have wanted to personally congratulate him.

"Good idea," Steve said, pulling a leg up onto the couch and wriggling into a more comfortable position for the impending phone call.

"Ma's gonna lose her shit," Bucky laughed, unlocking his phone.

"Because we're engaged or because you waited so long to tell her?" Steve joked, elbowing Bucky in the ribs.

Bucky snorted and pulled up his contacts. "Both, probably," he answered. He didn't have to scroll at all to find his mom's phone number; it was at the very top of the  _ frequently contacted _ section. He tapped her name and then pressed the green outline of a video camera, then held the phone up in front of himself as the camera loaded and the call forwarded.

"Prepare yourself," he warned, sending Steve a sideways glance before tugging on his sleeve until he, too, was in the frame.

Their cheeks smushed together, which only made the smile already gracing Steve's face grow. He met Bucky's eyes in the camera and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. It nearly touched Bucky's chin, and the two of them dissolved into giggles.

Of course, that's when Winifred Barnes decided to answer the call. "Hello, James, to what do I owe th— Steve! Oh, it's been so long, how are you, my dear?"

The grin on Bucky's face slipped into a pout. "Hi, Ma, nice to see you too, I'm doing alright, thanks for asking," he ribbed.

Winnie waved a dismissive hand through the air and rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush up, James," she reprimanded. "I just saw you last week. I know how you're doing." Her lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed at Bucky for a moment before she turned her attention back to Steve. Her smile returned full force. "I haven't seen Steve here in much longer. You look wonderful, Steve, so happy."

Steve returned the smile, preening under Winnie's compliments. "I'm doing well, thank you," he answered truthfully. "And happy is..." His eyes flickered over to Bucky, his smile growing softer on its own accord. "Happy is right."

The corner of Winnie's lips tipped up, like she knew something Steve didn't. But the microexpression was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “My boy isn't giving you too much trouble there, is he?” Winnie asked teasingly.

Bucky rolled his eyes and fixed his mom with an unimpressed look. “Why do you always assume it’s  _ me _ giving Steve trouble and not the other way around?”

Winnie just laughed and clicked her tongue at Bucky. “Have you seen his face? That’s the face of a man who doesn't get into a stitch of trouble.”

She and Bucky burst out laughing. They both had known Steve long enough to know that was completely untrue. 

“More like that's the face of a man who can talk his way outta all the trouble he gets himself  into,” Bucky corrected.

Steve knew he was right but he gave him a shove anyway. 

“How did your mom making fun of your behavior turn into you both making fun of mine?” Steve asked with an over exaggerated pout. 

Bucky snorted and dropped his left arm around Steve's shoulders, pulling him into a half hug. “Aw, don't be sour.”

“I'm assuming you didn't call just to have me tease you both, now, did you?” Winnie asked, finally turning the conversation towards the matter at hand. 

“No, Ma, we didn't,” Bucky confirmed. “Actually we've got some important news to share with you. With the whole family. Is everyone home right now?”

Winnie's face turned curious for a moment before she angled it away from the phone and shouted, “ _ George! Girls! Bucky’s on the phone with important news to share! Steve's here too _ !”

The sound of feet thundering through the house could be heard through the phone. 

“Animals, they're animals, I tell you,” Bucky mumbled under his breath. 

Steve stifled a laugh into Bucky's shoulder. He didn't blame the girls for racing through the house like that yo get to the phone. He would do the same thing for Bucky. Plus, he was just as excited to see them as he was sure they were to see him and Bucky. 

The footsteps grew louder until suddenly they were replaced with a cacophony of high pitched voices all talking over each other as the other two Barnes women crashed into the kitchen. 

God, did Steve love Bucky's family. 

“Bucky! Steve!” Alice exclaimed, the first to reach Winnie and her phone. Her bright, smiling face suddenly appeared in the frame.

The next to show up was Becca, who, according to Bucky, was visiting home for a few days. "Steve!" She greeted cheerfully. "Thanks again for taking that big lump off my hands. I owe you one!"

Steve couldn't help but laugh, earning himself a playful glare from Bucky. "Hi Alice, hey Becca. Glad to be of service," he replied, giving her a salute.

"Aw, I love you too, Becks," Bucky chimed in, sending his sister a faux sweet smile.

George Barnes was the last to join the party. "Boys, it's great to see the two of you," he said. "Everything treating you well over there?"

Steve and Bucky both nodded. "Yessir," Steve replied. "Everything's very well over here."

"The news!" Winnie interrupted. "The news! What's this important, exciting thing you've got us all gathered here for?"

Bucky laughed at his mother's impatience, then turned towards Steve. "You ready?" He asked, the small smile on his lips growing as they geared up to share.

"I'm ready," Steve answered, giving Bucky a firm nod. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest, and as he stared back into Bucky's eyes, as he saw the excitement mirrored in them, he had to bite down on his lip to keep his grin under control. The thought of sharing the news with Bucky's family— with  _ his _ family, because Bucky's family had always been his family— was absolutely thrilling. And for a brief second, Steve almost forgot that their engagement was just two friends following through on a promise. For a brief second, Steve almost believed it was real.

They stared into each other's eyes for another beat, almost as if both of them were checking for any last regrets. When they found nothing but pure excitement reflected there, they turned away from each other and towards the phone camera again.

Just before Bucky opened his mouth to deliver the news, Steve's hand darted over to grab onto Bucky's. He didn’t really know why he did it, just that it felt right in the moment. 

Bucky spared him another quick glance, his lips curled into a private smile, and he squeezed Steve's hand in return. Then he set his shoulders back, sucked in a determined breath, and said, "We're getting married!" 

The Barneses on the other end of the line went silent for a full second as Bucky's words sunk in, and then all chaos broke loose. Winnie's hand flew to her mouth, tears springing to the corners of her eyes; George held onto her shoulder, a proud smile spreading onto his face; Becca looked completely overjoyed, and a little bit like the cat that got the cream; Alice was already chattering away about dress colors and flower arrangements and the like. 

A pang went through Steve's chest at that, and his heart suddenly felt very full. Seeing the Barneses so happy about the news made him so happy. He'd been a part of the Barnes family for as long as he'd known Bucky— that's what Winnie and George and all the Barnes children would insist— but now he was actually going to be a member. It was exciting and heartwarming all at the same time, and the fact that they were so eager to accept him in meant the world to Steve.

"Oh, boys!" Winnie sighed happily, clutching her hands together over her heart. "That's amazing news! We've always hoped!" A genuine grin covered her whole face. 

"You two are good for each other, this really is the best news," George said.

"It's about damn time!" Becca cried, sticking her hands on both of her hips. "Oi, Alice, you owe me fifty bucks!" 

"Fifty bucks?" Steve repeated, brows furrowing. "Why doe she owe you fifty bucks?" 

Becca snorted and tipped her chin down at them, a you should know kind of a look on her face.

Except Steve didn't know. Or— he didn't know, but he sure had an idea if Becca's reaction to the news was anything to go off of. His eyes flew over to Bucky to see if he knew what she was talking about, but he just had a stern look on his face, almost like he was trying to stare his sister down through the phone. 

"Alice thought it was gonna take you two another year to finally get together," Becca clarified when Steve shook his head in response to her look. 

“Our marriage was only worth fifty bucks?” Bucky chimed in, shaking his head at his sisters.

Steve elbowed Bucky and raised an eyebrow. "You two bet on our relationship?"

Becca gave a one shouldered shrug, and the corners of her lips quirked up. "I'm sure we're not the only ones," she laughed. "And it was your  _ relationship _ that was worth the fifty bucks. The marriage we didn't bet on— that's an added bonus. I beyond win for that. Hell, Alice should have to give me a hundred bucks for that!"

"I am  _ not _ giving you one hundred dollars. No way!" Alice exclaimed, giving her sister an incredulous look, as if she couldn't even believe Becca suggested that.

Sensing that an argument was about to flare up and take over the phone call, Steve decided to jump in and end it before it could even start. "Well, I don't think anyone's going to have to cough up their money because—"

"Because you shouldn't be betting on our personal lives!" Bucky interrupted, wagging a finger at the camera in a patronizing manner. "That's very bad etiquette and you two should know better." A weak chuckle followed.

Steve's brows pulled together in confusion, and he glanced over to Bucky, trying to catch his eye so he could see the  _ what the fuck was that _ expression he had going on. He wasn't so lucky. Bucky steadfastly kept his eyes pointed at the phone's camera.

Becca and Alice both rolled their eyes, clearly not taking Bucky's scolding to heart.

But before anyone could say anything else, a loud beeping sounded off. A surprised look flashed in Winnie's eyes before recognition took its place. "Oh, that's dinner!" She explained. "I hate to cut this call short, but I've got to get the food out of the oven before it burns, and we should probably eat it too, before it gets cold," she chuckled.

"That's alright, Ma," Bucky reassured. "We should get back to planning anyway."

"Okay, sweetie. It was lovely to see you again, and you too, Steve! Congratulations to you both, and keep us updated!" Winnie said.

"Will do," Steve responded, sending Winnie a charming salute. "It was nice seeing you all, too," he added.

Becca and Alice chimed in with their goodbyes, and George gave a parting wave before the camera went black and the call ended.

Bucky let his arm fall back down to his side, probably tired from holding it up for so long, and a silence fell between them as they both processed.

Finally Steve decided to break the silence. "Did you not want them to know about the promise, or....?" He trailed off, waiting for Bucky to fill in the blank with his reasoning.

Bucky chewed on his lip for a moment and then shrugged. "No," he started. "I don't mind. It's just... I think it would be easier this way?" He sounded unsure of his answer, which didn't really convince Steve. "You know how my family gets. They'd be... they'd have a lot of questions and a lot to say about it."

Steve didn't see how that would be a problem. Bucky's family had a penchant for asking a lot of questions, that was true, but he didn't think they would have a problem with the unorthodox nature of their engagement. Becca and Alice would have a field day teasing them, he was sure of that, but Steve couldn't see a single Barnes actually objecting to it. They loved Steve, and as they’d already express over the phone, they were happy to have him as part of the family. Steve was sure that nothing would change that. 

"We can tell them," Bucky said, drawing Steve back to the present moment. "If you want to. If you think that's best. I don't mind."

Steve shook his head. "No, it's alright," he replied. "It's not a big deal or anything. I don't think it'll make much of a difference whether they know or not."

"Okay," Bucky said, and a brief silence fell between them as everything settled.

It hit Steve, then, that this was actually happening. He and Bucky were really getting married. They were really going to be  _ husbands _ . The thought was exhilarating and nerve wracking at the same time.

"Shit," Steve blurted, sounding a bit breathless. "We're really gonna do this, huh?"

Bucky glanced up from his lap, where he was turning his phone in his hands. His features twisted up a little as he scanned over Steve’s face, and he set the phone down and turned to face him completely. His eyes were sober as he searched Steve’s. “Are you sure you still want to?” He asked, dead serious. "Because you can always back out if you've changed your mind. Don't think that just because we promised you have to go along with it."

A genuine smile curved onto Steve's lips and he reached out to touch Bucky's forearm. "Of course I want to go through with it, Buck," he said earnestly.

The concerned fold between Bucky's eyebrows smoothed, and an almost dopey sort of grin slowly spread across his face. "Good," he said, covering his hand over Steve's. "Because I do too."

It was overwhelming. Bucky's tone, his words, his touch. Steve swallowed around the sudden lump that formed in his throat, all of his emotions bubbling up. He didn't even want to think about what it meant that his heart skipped a beat in his chest. It was time to extract himself from the situation before anything else happened with his feelings. 

"It's getting late," he said, pulling his hand from Bucky's arm. He let it drop uselessly back into his lap. "We should probably clean all this up," he gestured to the remains of dinner, "and head to bed."

“Dinner and bed, huh?” Bucky repeated, giving a firm nod as he surveyed the coffee table. There were tons of empty containers, a few half full ones too, and a countless number of used napkins littering the surface. It was… A mess, to say the least. “Let’s split the chores,” Bucky suggested. “You do the dishes, and I’ll go keep our bed warm.” He sent Steve a flirty little wink, a cheeky grin pulling at the corners of his lips. 

Steve nearly swallowed his tongue at Bucky’s insinuation that they would be sharing a bed. All he could do was open and close his mouth like he was a damn fish, completely at a loss for words. Despite Bucky’s teasing tone, Steve really couldn’t tell if he meant it as a joke, or if he was actually serious about it. After all, they had just discussed how real this whole thing felt, and sharing a bed with your soon to be husband was a very real thing engaged people did. And the thought of sharing a bed with Bucky, of sliding under the sheets next to him, of curling up beneath the same set of blankets, of sharing their space so intimately… it was very  _ very _ appealing— yet another thought Steve knew he needed to address, but so desperately refused to.

An over exaggerated pout made its way onto Bucky’s face and he folded his arms over his chest, sticking his nose into the air. “Alright,” he said when Steve failed to respond. “Fine, fine, if that’s the way you feel… you can take the couch tonight,” he scoffed. A secret grin slid onto his face as he he turned his back to Steve and whisked himself off down the hall towards his bedroom. He was sure to dramatically slam the door to his room like the faux scorned fiance he was pretending to be. 

Steve couldn’t help but snort at Bucky’s antics. A fond, borderline dopey grin stretched across Steve’s face as he stared after Bucky. God, he was so ridiculous. Always so dramatic, but Steve wouldn’t change it for the world. Bucky and his flare for the dramatic always had a way of making everything better, no matter what it was. Steve would never grow tired of it, he knew that for sure. 

As he stood there, in the middle of the living room, still surrounded by their mess from dinner, Steve—  _ their mess from dinner _ . “Bucky!” Steve cried as his eyes fell to the coffee table where empty containers and crumpled up napkins and used chopsticks lay, waiting for Steve, and only Steve, to clean up. “You just walked away to get out of cleaning up dinner!” 

Bucky just cackled from behind his door. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4! Chapter 4!! Happy halfway, my friends!! Let the wedding planning Officially commence!! <3

Walking off the streets of New York and into Sharon Carter’s building was like walking into a whole other world. A whole other world full of soft cream colors and blossoming bouquets of gorgeous flowers and glass everywhere— windows, walls, doors. Steve’s inner eye for design was going crazy. The whole place was absolutely beautiful, and Steve half expected Jennifer Lopez to waltz out of one of the rooms with Matthew Mcconaughey and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras trailing after her. 

“It’s so fancy in here,” Bucky whispered, nudging his elbow into Steve’s ribs.

“It’s so pretty,” Steve replied, sounding dazed. 

Bucky chuckled and looped his arm through Steve’s, pulling him along towards the front desk. “You should take inspiration from in here for our venue. S’much nicer than a barn.” 

Had they not been in public, and in such a nice place no less, Steve would’ve given Bucky a good shove. He settled for an unimpressed look instead and pinched Bucky’s forearm. 

“Hi there, are you checking in for a consultation?” A young woman with pretty, long strawberry blonde hair asked. The nametag pinned to her blouse read  _ Karen _ in fancy calligraphy. 

“As a matter of fact, we are,” Bucky answered, pasting on that charming smile of his as he leaned up against the marble ledge. “Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers; we’re here to see Ms. Carter herself.” 

Karen smiled warmly at the two of them and tapped away at the keyboard in front of her, presumably searching for their appointment. She squinted at the computer screen for a moment before her face lit up and she slid the mouse across the desktop and clicked once. “Gotcha,” she said, peering back up at them. “You two are all checked in. I’ll let Ms. Carter know you’ve arrived and she’ll be ready for you shortly,” she informed them, then reached for the phone. 

“Thank you,” Steve said, pulling Bucky away from the desk and towards the selection of plush seating in the waiting area. 

They'd only been waiting a few minutes when the sound of a door opening and closing from somewhere down the hall, followed by the clacking of heels against the polished floor caught their attention.

Steve looked up just in time to see none other than Sharon Carter herself turn the corner and start walking towards the waiting area. She looked the epitome of successful businesswoman, her sleek black pencil skirt and crisp, cornflower blue button up spotless. Her hair fell around her face in loose curls, softening the sharpness of her clothes. The welcoming smile on her face tied the whole look together.

"Hi," she greeted as she approached Steve and Bucky. "You must be my twelve o'clock, Bucky and Steve, right?"

"That's us," Steve replied, jumping to his feet. Right away he held out a hand for Sharon to shake. "Steve Rogers," he introduced with a bright smile. It was the one Bucky liked to call his "kiss ass smile" because he always brought it out when he was trying to make a good impression.

Sharon shifted the leatherbound notebook from where it was tucked in her right arm to the left and took Steve's hand. "It's lovely to meet you," she responded. Steve was very aware of the way her eyes scanned over his entire... well, everything. "My god, you're just as handsome as Peggy said. You're one lucky man," Sharon added, directing the latter comment towards Bucky. "You must be Mr. Barnes, then."

An easy grin slipped onto Bucky's face and he took Sharon's outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake. "That would be correct. Bucky Barnes, the luckiest man on earth," he confirmed.

Sharon chuckled good naturedly and looked between the two of them. "If the two of you would just follow me, we can head back to my office and dive right in!"  She waited until Steve and Bucky agreed, then turned on her heel and began walking back towards her office.

Sharon’s office was just as elegant as the rest of the building. Steve's eyes were immediately drawn towards the long windows that made up the entire back wall of the room, giving way to the most gorgeous view of the city he had ever seen. In front of it, an l-shaped desk sat in the center of the room. Atop her desk was a computer monitor, her company logo bouncing across the screen. Another leather bound notebook sat on the opposite side of the computer along with what looked like a daily planner.

As they walked in Sharon gestured to the two tall backed white chairs in front of her desk. "Go ahead and have a seat," she said, moving around the desk to her own chair. 

“I always like to start out with a question that, I believe, can tell a lot about the upcoming marriage and the expectations of both it and the wedding itself," Sharon explained as she seated herself behind her desk.

“So,” Sharon said, clasping her hands together in front of her. She glanced between the two of them. “What does marriage mean for you two?”

Steve was caught off guard by the question. He really should have expected her to ask something like that; after all, for any other couple it would be a perfectly normal question, an easy question to answer, too. But his and Bucky’s marriage was going to be anything but normal. The circumstances were totally different; there weren’t the same kind of feelings here as there were in a real marriage, for one. Steve heard a muffled tiny voice in the very back of his head asking if that was really the case here. That didn’t mean anything. 

“We, uh, don’t exactly have a standard arrangement here,” Bucky replied, taking the lead in the explanation. “It’s not your, uh, typical situation.” 

A contemplative look crossed over Sharon’s face and she rested the end of her pen against her pursed lips, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity. “Tell me about it,” she prompted.

“We had a promise,” Bucky began, glancing over to Steve. A warm smile graced his lips, and Steve preened at it. “A little marriage pact of sorts. We promised each other that we would get married if we weren’t already by the time we both turned thirty.”

Steve shook his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you remembered it,” he interjected, unable to help himself. “I thought we were mostly joking when we made that promise.”

Bucky pouted and tilted his head to the side. He covered his palm over the top of Steve’s hand and squeezed. “Aw, c’mon, Stevie. ‘Course I remembered it. And you know I meant every word of it. I thought about that promise every single day after I got back from Afghanistan,” he admitted, soft and genuine. 

Steve’s heart stuttered in his chest at the admission, and it felt a little like his breath had been punched out of him, but in a good way. 

“This big lug over here turned thirty the other day,” Bucky told Sharon, completely unaware of the way his previous words were still affecting Steve. 

“So he showed up at my birthday party, totally unannounced, and he proposed,” Steve filled in.

“You said yes,” Bucky added. He sounded almost surprised, like going into it, he hadn’t expected Steve to accept. 

“I said yes,” Steve confirmed. He tried to sound confident, but upon hearing it back, it ended up much softer than he’d expected. Much sweeter. 

Steve blinked and suddenly he was ten years younger, back in the bedroom of his old apartment, with Bucky holding his hands and promising to marry him with the most honest, genuine smile he'd ever seen on him. When Steve blinked again, he was back in Sharon's office, but Bucky's face hadn't changed from that night, that smile still there, still as genuine. 

Their eyes were locked, and the moment felt charged with something. Steve couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but it had him holding his breath a little, and feeling lightheaded for a completely other reason. 

The sound of Sharon’s pen meeting the desktop snapped them out of it, and Steve shuffled in his seat to face Sharon again, cheeks warm. He hadn’t even realized he’d completely shifted towards Bucky during their explanation. 

Sharon was gazing between them again, a heartfelt expression on her face. If Steve knew any better he would say it almost looked like she’d just watched the most romantic scene of a rom-com. Her lips were tugged up in a sweet smile, eyes soft. When they landed on Steve, however, that discerning, observant glint sparkled in them, smile turning perceptive. If he hadn’t been convinced that she and Peggy were cousins before, he was now. No one did that knowing look better than the Carter women, so it seemed. And maybe Natasha.

“I said yes,” Steve repeated, tone back to normal, thankfully. “And here we are.” 

“Here you are indeed,” Sharon agreed. “That’s a sweet story, and an even sweeter gesture. I can already tell that marriage is going to suit you two well. You’re right when you say it isn’t a very typical situation, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t lovely.” A soft smile curved at her lips. “Marriage is about bringing two people together and bonding them for life, but that bond can come in a lot of different forms. In this case, marriage to you would mean an eternal partnership, albeit a platonic one.” 

Steve nodded, and cast a glance over to Bucky to find him already smiling back at him, nodding along as well. That pesky voice in his head started to hum again, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and take Bucky’s hand in his own. He wasn’t sure why the urge to do so was so strong, but it was there.

“Something like that, yeah.”

"Romantic or platonic as it may be, we're going to make sure this wedding is nothing short of everything the two of you have ever wanted," Sharon said.

Sharon was intuitive, Steve already knew that; but the way she must have picked up on those inexplicable feelings bubbling beneath the surface surprised even Steve. Her segue from the nature of their relationship to their actual plans for the wedding was easy, completely natural. It felt like a weight was lifted off of Steve's shoulders once he was able to pull his mind off of him and Bucky and focus it onto their plans.

Sharon reached for the leather bound journal she'd been holding earlier and flipped it open to a clean page, clicking her pen open before poising it above the pages. "Now, before we jump right in an start going through your ideas, tell me this: what kind of a budget are we looking at here?"

"It's gonna be a bit on the lower side," Bucky answered. "We're not looking to make this some giant, extravagant party. Just a nice small celebration for us and our friends and family."

"Our wedding doesn't have to make the cover of the New York Times or anything," Steve chimed in. They would leave that for Tony and Pepper.

"I think it would be  _ Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine _ ," Bucky laughed, sending a smug look Steve's way. "Not the New York Times."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you know what I meant," he sighed fondly.

The corners of Sharon's lips quirked and she quickly hid it with her hand, tapping her pen against her lips as she listened. "Have you figured out a number yet, or is that something we need to do here?" She asked.

"I did a little calculating the other day," Bucky replied, "and I came up with something between twenty-five and thirty thousand— if that's even doable... is that doable?"

And— that was news. Bucky doing some calculating. Steve didn't remember the two of them looking at the prices on anything, or even discussing the specifics of their budget. All they knew was that they didn't want to spend too much.

Thirty thousand dollars was... that was a lot. Hell, even twenty-five thousand was. Twenty-five thousand was just about half of what Steve made in a year, even with his promotion. He supposed it could be worse.

"Twenty-five to thirty is very doable," Sharon confirmed, nodding and jotting the numbers down into her notebook. "Especially since you two don't want a big grand circus wedding, and the number of guests is on the low side, as it seems it will be. I have some contacts with some of the more locally owned businesses that provide wedding services— bakers, florists, those kinds of things. Because they're locally owned they do tend to have lower prices, which works well in our favor here. Does this sound like something the two of you are alright with?"

"Absolutely," Steve answered without any hesitation. He was all about supporting local businesses. He'd always thought they had a nicer, homier touch to their products; everything handmade with care and attention to detail. Not to mention, the lower prices were an excellent selling point. Support local businesses  _ and _ save a few bucks? Steve was all for it.

"That sounds great," Bucky agreed.

"Perfect," Sharon replied. She set her pen down and reached for her computer mouse, turning the screen so Steve and Bucky could see it. "I've got a list of local businesses on here I can pull up, and we can look through some of them, see if any catch your eye." She double clicked on a few programs and waited for them to load up. 

Once the program loaded, a quick search on Sharon's behalf had a long list of locally owned businesses showing up on the screen. The three of them spent nearly a whole hour going through the entire array of them, clicking on one after the other. They clicked through the provided websites and checked out the photo albums and the price listings and the previous client reviews. It amazed Steve to see just how many different businesses could provide services for a wedding. It was so much more than just bakers and florists. There were jewelers and dress designers and caterers, mixologists and interior designers and salons. Steve definitely saw some businesses listed that he never would have expected to see.

As they viewed what each prospective business had to offer, Sharon jotted down the names of ones Steve and Bucky seemed to like. There was a lovely flower shop run by an equally as lovely couple called  _ The Asgarden _ . A brother and sister duo that ran a part catering part bakery business caught their eye: both their cake designs and dishes as well as their prices. They found a highly recommended officiant they wanted to know more about. Steve even spotted the photographer Tony had recommended to him on the list; a young man by the name of Peter Parker who received nothing but the utmost praise from Tony himself. A few clicks through his online portfolio had Steve desperate to hire him. He truly was amazing with a camera. 

Once they finally narrowed their list down to a handful of services they needed, Sharon stepped them through the pricing of each and how it would all add up.

Steve hadn't realized just how expensive it all could be. Five and a half thousand for catering; six hundred for a cake, give or take a little depending on what exactly they end up ordering; one eight hour photo session cost three and a half thousand, and a wedding album was another two and a half thousand on top of that. It was all adding up very fast.

“So we’ve decided you two would like to keep to a lower budget in terms of venue,” Sharon reiterated, glancing between the two of them, lifting an eyebrow. "Did we have anywhere specific in mind already?"

Steve and Bucky shared a look and a shrug each. This was something they had discussed prior to the meeting. They decided that they wanted to keep the wedding in New York— no fancy trips to the Bahamas or sunny California or anywhere but here. Home. Steve had made a joke about doing the ceremony on Brooklyn Bridge; Bucky had offered up his parent's backyard garden. Jokes aside, they came to the conclusion that they really didn't much mind where they got married. So long as they  _ got married _ . One thing they had agreed on, however, was that neither of them particularly wanted to get married in a church. Religion wasn't a very big part of either of their lives, so the significance of a church wedding wasn't there for them. Not to mention, Bucky was Jewish, so a church wouldn't even make sense for him.

"We haven't found anywhere specific," Steve answered, taking the lead on this one. "I think we're pretty open to the location."

"Just not a barn," Bucky interjected, a lopsided grin taking over his face.

Steve's mouth pulled up into a bright grin of his own, and a laugh bubbled up. He felt himself flush a little under the teasing glint in Bucky's eyes. "No barns," he agreed. "Or churches," he added. "No churches."

"No barns or churches," Sharon repeated, chuckling a little. "Got it." She scribbled that down in her notebook. "And would you like to keep it in the city? Or are you thinking you'd like to travel a bit— whether that means to a different borough or a different state."

"We definitely want to keep it in New York," Steve answered. "Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, any of the boroughs, really, are fine."

"Except Staten Island," Bucky joked. "The Bronx is on thin ice, too."

Steve rolled his eyes and shot Bucky a narrowed glare. "Don't listen to him," he told Sharon. "There's nothing wrong with Staten Island. Or The Bronx for that matter."

"I actually do know a few venues off the top of my head that I think you guys might like," Sharon said. "None of which are in Staten Island or The Bronx," she added with a grin. 

She clicked a few different links on the computer— Steve wasn't watching close enough to see what exactly they were— then typed a few keywords into a search bar and checked off a few boxes. It must have been a sorting system, one that once their preferences were input, would narrow down the results. Handy. Sharon's fingers flew over the keys a few more times before she hit enter and a list was generated. She clicked on the very first venue that popped up. "Now, none of these will have an exact price listed, and they rarely even list ballparks prices," she explained while she waited for the new screen to load. "That's going to be for a few reasons." She held up a finger. "One, the pricing will always vary for each prospective client. A lot of different aspects go into calculating the price. They'll need to know how many guests are on the list; whether they offer catering services or you need to find your own; staffing, open bar versus closed bar versus no bar; the list goes on. Two," she held up a second finger, "they really want you to schedule a viewing of the venue, and by withholding the cost, they're a lot more likely to have clients set up a tour. Not to mention— they're tricky buggers this way, but viewing the venue leaves clients more likely to be willing to pay a higher price than they would should it have merely been provided online. It's a tricky tactic, but it works."

Steve had to hand it to them, it was a smart tactic. He could absolutely see how that worked. Viewing a venue in person was a much different experience than simply clicking through a few photographs on a website. Actually stepping foot in the place made it real, made it tangible. It also made it much easier to fall in love with. And once the client fell in love with the place, well, Steve could see how they'd be willing to pay extra for it once that connection, once those feelings were there.

"That is tricky," Steve agreed.

"Smart as hell, though," Bucky added with a laugh.

"We're smart too, though, ain't we, Stevie?" A grin curled onto Bucky's lips. "We're not gonna fall for that."

Steve shook his head. "Nah, we won't," he said. "We gotta save that money for the good stuff, like cake."

Sharon chuckled good-naturedly. "I commend you if you don't," she said. She glanced back at the computer screen to find that the venue she had clicked on finally loaded. "Here we go," she murmured. "This one is called Houston Hall. It's in the West Village." Sharon scrolled down the screen and located the gallery of photographs the website offered. "It's a former FBI garage converted into a beer hall and brew pub that doubles as a gorgeous wedding venue. This venue can hold up to 180 guests, and it's a full service venue. That means it has in house catering, and it comes with staffing."

The pictures showed a vast space with exposed brick walls. The ceiling was high with crisscrossing wooden beams— they would be perfect for hanging lights from. Long wooden tables stretched the length of the room, and Steve found himself thinking about how easy seating charts would be with those. From the angle of the photograph he could count six skylights, and along one side of the room a long, marble bar was situated. The in house catering was a nice touch, as well.

Overall, the venue was lovely, a very aesthetically pleasing location for a wedding. All the rustic decorations Steve found on Pinterest would have no problem fitting in here. Bucky would have a field day. The thought made him laugh. 

"Something funny, Steve?" Bucky asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Steve couldn't help the sly grin that spread across his face. "Oh no," he said casually. "I think it's a really nice place. That burlap centerpiece— you remember that one, right?— would look fantastic on these tables. Oh, and the twine infused bouquets would be a nice touch as well."

Bucky snorted— loud and unattractive (well, unattractive to anyone that wasn't Steve). "Oh  _ no _ ," he groaned, leaning back in his seat. His hands flew up to cover his face, but Steve could see the hint of smile peeking out from behind them. "Next please!" Bucky cried.

Amusement sparkled in Sharon's eyes and played over her face. "Should I add this one to the viewing list?" She asked.

"Yes, definitely," Steve responded, squeezing Bucky's bicep comfortingly. "Do you really not like it, Buck?" he asked a little quieter, nudging Bucky.

Finally, Bucky dropped his hands from his face. He shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I'm just pulling your chain. It's a nice place. Great spot to marry you, punk."

Steve felt a flush burn in his cheeks and he ducked his head a little. It would never not shake him to the core to hear Bucky say any version of those words. "Even with all the twine and burlap?" He asked, trying to deflect.

Bucky nodded, eyes going soft. "Even with all your hipster garbage," he confirmed, keeping a straight face for two seconds before it crumbled and he dissolved into laughter. "Alright, alright," he said, pulling himself back together. "What else've you got, Sharon?"

They spent the next half an hour going through all kinds of other venues. Picture after picture, description after description. The suggested price range of each one varied significantly, though most of them never gave exact estimates, like Sharon had warned them. 

By the time the end of their consultation neared, they had a decent list of venues and a ton of other businesses to check out. As per Sharon's request, Steve and Bucky gave her a handful of dates they were available to schedule venue tours, and she promised that as soon as they finished up here she would call each one and set up an appointment for a viewing.

  
  
  


As they turned onto Washington Avenue and pulled up to the next venue Sharon had selected for them, Steve's eyes widened at just how  _ green _ everything was. There were tall trees with branches and branches dripping with leaves, shrubbery trimmed into neat shapes, and flowers,  _ so many flowers _ , everywhere. It was truly beautiful, and just from this alone Steve was already seriously impressed. He couldn't wait to see the actual venue if this was what it’s surroundings looked like.

"Here we are," Sharon announced, sending them an excited grin. "This one is one of my personal favorites," she said. "I don't think I've had a single client that hasn't loved this place."

Steve glanced over at Bucky, excitement buzzing through his veins. "I feel good about this one already," he told him.

Bucky chuckled and knocked his shoulder into Steve's. "We haven't even seen it yet, pal," he pointed out. And while that may have been true, there was no mistaking the awe in Bucky's eyes as he peered out the window. Nonchalant as he may have been, Bucky was excited about this place, too. Steve could tell.

"It's so green," Steve said, laughing a little. "I love that."

Sharon's smile grew and she chuckled along. "It's a botanical garden— Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, to be exact. So there's plenty more flora where we'll be heading."

When their car finally pulled up in front of the information center, Steve spotted a woman waiting for them. She was the picture of professional, with her hair pulled back in a fancy updo and a tasteful black dress. She wore a warm, inviting smile on her face and clutched a black folder to her chest.

"Maria," Sharon greeted as they exited the car. "It's so lovely to see you again."

Maria held her hand out for Sharon to take, her smile growing. "Sharon, the same goes to you," she replied. "And you two must be Steve and Bucky, yes?"

"That's us," Steve confirmed. "I'm Steve," he introduced, taking Maria's extended hand.

"And I'm Bucky," Bucky said, shaking Maria's hand next.

"Well, I'd like to formally welcome you to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens," Maria said, flourishing a hand at the space around her. "My name's Maria, and I'll be taking you around the premise today. If you’ll follow me, we can get started.” With that Maria began walking, glancing back to make sure that the group started to follow her. "The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is an urban botanic garden, founded in 1910. Our mission here is to connect those that visit to the world of plants. We hope to inspire an appreciation as well as an understanding for these regional plants and their communities. Here at the Gardens there's a lot to see and do, and of course, as you know, it's grown to be quite a popular location for wedding ceremonies." Maria sent them a knowing grin.

"Today I'm going to be showing you our most popular garden settings for weddings. It's a bit of a walk from here, I'm afraid, but it's quite worth it, if I do say so myself," Maria chuckled.

It was a bit of a walk, Maria wasn't lying about that. But, god, she was so right about it being worth it. Steve was in awe, absolutely entranced by all the beautiful vegetation surrounding them as they followed the path. They passed herb gardens and rock gardens, even a water garden. There were bluebell woods and tree peonies, a cherry esplanade and lovely rose gardens. It was all just so stunning.

But if Steve thought the sights on the walk to the venue were stunning, they were nothing compared to the venue itself. An absolutely gorgeous piece of architecture with two tiers of domes, the entire thing constructed of turquoise tinted glass and white beams. Directly in front of it sat two large rectangular pools. The water sparkled in the sun, but what drew Steve's eye were the clusters of lilies, in various stages of bloom scattered around the surface. It was all just so beautiful, it took Steve's breath away.

"This," Maria said, pulling Steve and Buck out of their flower induced trance, "is the Palm House." She gestured towards the glass building. "And the Lily Pool Terrace," she added, pointing at the pools in front of them. "As I mentioned earlier, this is our most popular location for wedding ceremonies. I'm sure now you can see why." A proud smile curved onto her lips. "Many couples that choose to have their weddings here at the Palm House tend to hold the ceremony in the actual gardens, and then use the Palm House itself for the reception and party. There's also a terrace that's often used for cocktails."

"Oh my god," Steve murmured, gripping onto Bucky's arm excitedly.

"This place is beautiful," Bucky breathed back, sounding just as blown away as Steve felt.

Steve let go of Bucky's arm so he could walk closer to the pool of lilies. He carefully leaned in closer, eyes roaming over the sight in front of him. One of the lilies floated just next to the edge, balancing delicately atop the surface of the water. Steve's fingers itched to curls around his pencils and sketch these beauties.

"I suspect the two of you would like to see the inside of the Palm House now, and get a feel for where your reception might be," Maria said, turning towards the building in question.

Except Steve was so caught up in the lilies, planning out every stroke of his pencil, every line on the nonexistent page, that he didn't hear Maria. Or Bucky for that matter.

"Steve," Bucky called, trying to get his attention. "Steve. Stevie!"

It wasn't until Bucky marched over to Steve's side and slipped his hand into Steve's, tugging him along, that Steve realized they were all waiting on him.

"C'mon, punk, you're holding us up," Bucky joked, grinning at Steve.

Steve felt his cheeks grow hot, and he ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry," he murmured, letting himself be pulled along towards the Palm House.

"Nah, don't be sorry," Bucky replied, bumping his shoulder into Steve's.

His hand felt nice curled tightly around Steve's, natural. They fit, palm against palm, fingers slotting together. It was like their hands were made for each other. Steve couldn't stop thinking about it.

"M'glad you like this place," Bucky continued as they strode along the path, a few paces behind Maria and Sharon.

"It's the best one we've seen yet," Steve said. "I haven't wanted to draw any of the others as much as I want to draw this one," he added with a laugh.

Bucky chuckled, low and rumbly, and Steve felt himself swell with pride. Being the source of Bucky's laughter would never not be the best feeling in the world.

Maria was waiting at the door, holding it open for Sharon and the happy couple. "Welcome to the Palm House," she said, a bright smile on her face as Steve and Bucky crossed the threshold. 

The inside was just as breathtaking as the outside was. Despite the fact that they were indoors, it didn't feel that way one bit. The natural light poured in from every glass wall, giving Steve the illusion that he was still very much outside, standing in the middle of all the beautiful trees and flowers. 

Small, round tables lined the outer edges of the room with potted palms against the walls every few feet. Right now the tables were covered with light grey tablecloths, complete with full course settings. About a dozen white chairs sat around each table.

"All those rustic centerpieces would look pretty nice in here, don't you think?" Steve asked Bucky, sending him a shit eating grin.

Bucky rolled his eyes, but a grin of his own spread across his lips. "Don't let this go to your head or anything, but yeah, they would look pretty nice," he agreed.

"Knew you'd come around."

Bucky just shook his head fondly and pulled Steve away from the entrance and deeper into the room.

Beneath their feet, the floor was covered in a short, dark grey carpet, except for a large square in the very center made of hardwood— a dance floor. The corners of Steve's lips quirked up as they came to a stop in the middle of it. Steve and dancing didn't go hand in hand; they never had and it was likely they never would. He'd been told countless times that he has two left feet, and no matter how many times his mother, or Peggy, or even Bucky tried to teach him, it never stuck. But, Steve knew that wasn't going to stop him from dancing with Bucky on their wedding day. He was willing to make a fool of himself with Bucky. It would be worth it; Bucky was always worth it.

As Steve stood there, in the center of the room, glancing around at the entirety of this beautiful venue, he found that he had no trouble picturing the place decked out with gorgeous sets of soft string lights running along the curve of the ceiling, tables and tables filled with all their friends and family, vivacious floral arrangements littering the room. But most importantly, he could perfectly envision Bucky and himself, standing at the front of the room at the end of a silky white aisle, trading rings and vows and promising their everything to one another. He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat and quickly brushed a finger under his eyes. "This is it, Buck," Steve said, nodding. He turned towards Bucky, taking his other hand in the process. His eyes were glistening just like Steve's. "It's gotta be."

"It's perfect, Stevie," Bucky agreed, squeezing Steve's hands. "I want to marry you here. Right in front of everyone we love, right here."

A wet, giddy laugh bubbled up, and Steve pulled Bucky in, letting go of his hands only so he could throw them around Bucky's neck instead. He buried his face into the crook of Bucky's neck and held him tight.

Bucky's arms found their way around Steve's waist, holding him just as tightly.

When they finally broke apart, Steve noticed Sharon and Maria chatting off to the side, presumably giving Steve and Bucky a little privacy during their moment. He cleared his throat, eyes dropping to the floor. Steve shuffled a few steps back, restoring some of that friendly distance that hadn't been there before. When he looked back up at Bucky, he felt himself flush under his intense gaze, and he swallowed nervously. "Should we, uh, should we ask about pricing?" He asked, trying to shake himself out of his sudden awkwardness by throwing himself back into conversation.

"That's a good idea," Bucky replied, the perfect image of completely unaffected.

Steve stifled a scoff at Bucky's calm demeanor, and the two of them made their way over to Sharon and Maria.

"So," Sharon said, glancing between Steve and Bucky. "What do you think of the place?"

Steve chuckled and started to nod. "It's perfect," he said. "I don't think I can look at any of the venues we saw before this one the same anymore."

Sharon and Maria laughed. "This one does tend to have that effect on most," Maria replied.

"Before we go selling our souls to this place even more than we already have," Bucky started, pressing his lips together for a moment. "We should probably ask the dreaded question."

A grin pulled at Sharon's lips. "Ah, the price question, right?"

Bucky and Steve both nodded. "The price question."

"How much are we talking here?" Bucky asked.

It was Sharon's turn to press her lips together and she let out a slow breath through her nose. That didn't seem too good. It was almost like she was amping herself up to deliver some bad news. Shit. Steve felt his heart beginning to sink already.

"It is a bit on the expensive side," Sharon said, nodding solemnly.

"Out of our budget expensive?" Steve asked, holding his breath a little as he waited for Sharon's answer. Mentally, he was crossing his fingers and toes that if it was out of their budget that it was only by a few hundred dollars, maybe a thousand, if they wanted to really push it.

The tight lipped smile returned to Sharon's face and her eyes sparkled with sympathy. "Unfortunately, it does fall above your price range," she confirmed, crushing Steve's heart in the process.

"How far above are we talking?" Bucky asked, chewing on his lower lip. He seemed to be just as invested in this place as Steve was, just as worried about the price.

"Well, according to the budget plan we mapped out the other day, you two said you wanted to spend no more than ten thousand on a venue, correct?"

Steve and Bucky nodded.

"When everything is all said and done here, unfortunately, the Palm House comes out quite a bit ahead of that," Sharon said. She still hadn't provided an actual number yet, which was making Steve even more nervous. "We're looking at a total of around almost fifteen thousand."

" _ Fifteen thousand _ ," Steve breathed out. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

An apologetic look flashed across Sharon's face. "I know," she said sympathetically. "When you break it down, to rent the venue is five thousand, plus another five hundred for coordinating the wedding. Then setting the ceremony up costs one thousand, staffing the reception is two hundred and fifty. Beverages are pretty high up their in price, coming in at a little over four thousand. There's a few extras in there that would shave the price down a little, like an aisle runner and a fancy arch, and the special lighting as well. But even with those out of the picture, it would still fall a ways out of your budget once the taxes are added to it all."

"This place doesn't, like, have a catering service, does it?" Bucky asked, his tone hopeful.

Steve could see where he was going with this; during the budgeting portion of their meeting with Sharon they'd come to the conclusion that catering would come in around five and a half thousand dollars. If the Palm House did offer catering services, they'd be able to cut that cost and put that extra money towards the venue. It would've been the perfect solution.

"Unfortunately, the Palm House does not have a catering service," Maria answered, her tone apologetic.

"Damn," Bucky muttered.

"I can see how much the two of you love it here," Maria started. "And I would hate for you to have to walk away from what seems to be your dream venue without a fight. I can try to talk to my higher ups, see if there's any way we can negotiate a lower price," she said.

Steve felt a surge of gratuity rush through him, and he sent Maria a thankful smile. "That would be amazing," he said. "Any chance at being able to afford this place would just be fantastic."

"Of course," Maria replied. "It'll probably take me a few days to do that and figure everything out, but when I do I can give Sharon a call and then she can let you two know what the verdict is."

"Excellent," Steve said. Hopeful as he was, he still had a niggling feeling that they still wouldn't be able to haggle the price down to something that would fit in with their budget. It was just his luck that he would find the perfect, most beautiful place to get married and then not be able to have it.

“Thank you so much for showing us around, Maria,” Sharon said, shaking Maria’s hand once more. 

“Yes, thank you,” Steve added, and Bucky joined in with the thanking as well. 

“It was my pleasure,” Maria replied politely. “It was lovely meeting you both, and a congratulations again.” Maria gave the three of them a wave before she made her exit and began walking back towards the information center. 

Steve watched as Sharon cast one more glance at the lush gardens around them and then zeroed in on Steve and Bucky. “Shall we move on to the next one now?” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 has arrived!! Here comes the cake tasting!! Hope you all enjoy it as much as Steve and Bucky enjoyed the cake they tasted in it ;) <3
> 
> [Here](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7873/32305013387_79efbfa56f_z.jpg) is the wonderful art [Indy](https://ribbonsflyingoutthewindow.tumblr.com/) created for this chapter!!

It felt like forever ago that Steve and Bucky had met Sharon and started the wild journey that was planning their wedding, but here they were almost two months into it all, the big day creeping closer and closer.

Steve sighed happily to himself as he sunk into the couch and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. He was still in his pajamas, having just woken up, and he was picking the melty chocolate chips out of the muffin he had in hand.

Bucky padded out of the kitchen carrying two very full mugs of coffee. His face was screwed up in concentration, lower lip firmly between his teeth as he moved slowly towards the couch. He was careful lowering one of the mugs and holding it out for Steve to take, but like every cup of coffee Bucky had ever made for Steve, it was completely overfilled, so a little bit of the liquid sloshed over the side onto his hand. He hissed around clenched teeth.

"You alright?" Steve checked, quickly taking the cup from Bucky. He brought it up to his lips and took a long sip, wincing as the hot liquid burned his tongue. "Shit, that is hot," he muttered, twisting up his face and sticking his tongue out.

Bringing his hand up to his mouth to sooth the burn, Bucky nodded. "M'fine, just a little hot," he answered. "What were you so lost in thought about?”

“Huh?” Steve asked dumbly, tearing his eyes away from where Bucky's lips pursed around the side of his finger. Any closer to the tip and it would've been completely in his mouth. Steve wasn't sure he would have been able to handle that. “Wha— oh. Just our wedding,” he replied. “It’s coming up soon.”

Bucky grinned and took a seat in the arm chair to Steve’s left. “It is,” he said with a nod. “You’re not getting cold feet on me, are you?” He joked.

Steve laughed and shook his head. “Never,” he replied earnestly, and he meant it. Saying yes to Bucky’s proposal, and eventually marrying him, would never be something Steve would ever regret— that much he knew for sure. He was about to jokingly turn the question on Bucky, but his phone started to ring. He picked it up off of the coffee table only to see Sharon Carter’s name flashing across the screen. “It’s Sharon,” he said, brows furrowing. They didn’t have any meetings with Sharon coming up, and they weren’t supposed to call her until after their appointments today.

“Put it on speaker,” Bucky requested as Steve hit answer.

“Hey Sharon,” Steve greeted, hitting the speaker button. “Bucky’s here too. Is everything alright?”

“Hi Steve, hi Bucky,” Sharon replied. “No need to worry, everything’s alright, yes. Actually, it’s a bit better than alright if I do say so myself.” There was an excited edge to her voice, and Steve and Bucky shared a curious glance.

“Yeah?” Steve asked. “Why’s that?”

“I just got off the phone with Maria Hill. You remember Maria, right?” Sharon asked. “She was the one who showed us around the Palm House at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide and he reached over to nudge Steve.

Steve felt his heart rate pick up in his chest. “We remember her,” he responded, tone prompting Sharon to continue.

“Well, she had some very good news. Apparently there was a couple that booked the Palm House the same weekend that you two are getting married, but they had to back out at the last minute,” Sharon explained.

“Does that mean…” Bucky trailed off, not letting himself finish should it end up being too good to be true. He probably didn’t want to jinx it and Steve didn’t blame him.

“Does that mean the Palm House is officially available to be your wedding venue?” Sharon filled in. “As a matter of fact it does.” Steve could practically hear her grin through the phone.

“Wait, but the Palm House was too expensive, that was the problem we had with it,” Steve pointed out. He didn’t see how the Palm House being available was good news if it wasn’t suddenly affordable too.

“Here’s the best part,” Sharon said. “This couple already paid their down payment, and since it’s now past the refundable date, their money is locked in and they don’t get it back. Which means…” Sharon paused for dramatic effect. “The Palm House is now within your budget!”

“No shit!” Bucky exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. He wasted no time throwing himself at Steve, landing half across his body and wrapping his arms around him in a huge hug.

Steve nearly dropped his phone in the process, but he hugged Bucky back tightly, excitement thrumming through his veins. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Their dream venue! It was theirs!

“You told her we’d take it right?” Steve asked, looping his arm around Bucky’s waist to make sure he didn’t fall off of his lap in his excitement.

“That’s the first thing I did,” Sharon confirmed. “And as a little cherry on top, there’s still a few days before the deposit for Houston Hall is nonrefundable, so if I call there today to cancel you should get a full refund!”

“Oh my god, Sharon Carter, you are a godsend!” Bucky exclaimed.

“This is seriously the best news ever,” Steve said, giddy laughter bubbling up. “Thank you, Sharon. Thank you.”

“Oh, no need to thank me. It wasn’t me that cancelled,” Sharon chuckled. “I’m so happy this worked out for you two though, I know how much you wanted to have the wedding here. I’m glad it’s all going to work out in the end.”

“Us too,” Steve replied. He caught Bucky’s eye and a new face splitting grin spread across his lips.

“I won’t keep you two any longer, I understand you’ve got a busy day ahead of you,” Sharon said. “I just wanted to call and let you two know!”

“Thank you, again,” Steve repeated. “We’ll call you when we’re done for the day or tomorrow and update you on how everything goes,” he added.

“Sounds like a plan! Have fun today!” Sharon said before hanging up.

"What do we have planned for today again?" Bucky asked, letting himself slide off of Steve’s lap and into the space beside him.

"We're meeting with the florists and we're also meeting with the caterer and baker," Steve answered. "Smelling roses and tasting cakes; it's gonna be a good day." He set down his phone and reached for his abandoned muffin again.

"Speaking of bakers, that muffin any good?" Bucky asked, following Steve's fingers as he shoved another chunk of it into his mouth.

Steve chuckled with a full mouth and nodded. "Mhm," he hummed around his bite. "You're a great baker, Buck. Go get a couple, see for yourself."

Bucky shook his head. "Nah, I'm alright," he responded. "Don't want any."

"You're not gonna eat any breakfast?" Steve asked, quirking a brow at Bucky.

“Nope, no breakfast," Bucky confirmed. "Not having lunch either. Gotta save room for all that cake we're gonna taste later." Bucky tapped his temple twice and grinned at Steve.

"Buck, our appointment’s not until one thirty. You have plenty of time to digest it all. You should really go eat something. These muffins aren't all that big, it'll be fine."

Ever the stubborn man, Bucky just stuck his nose up. "I said I'm alright."

"Bucky," Steve said, narrowing his eyes at Bucky.

"Steve," Bucky shot back, matching his tone to Steve's. "I know what I'm doing, it'll be fine. I'm not gonna be hungry."

  


"I'm so hungry!"

Steve bit down on his lip to hold back his snort and he just managed to refrain from rolling his eyes fondly at Bucky.

"Steve," Bucky whined, turning in his seat so he could press his face into Steve's shoulder. "Steve, I'm so hungry!"

He couldn't help it this time as a snort slipped past, and he cast a glance over towards Bucky as best as he could. "I told you you should have eaten breakfast. Or lunch."

Bucky lifted his head long enough for Steve to see the way his lips twisted into a pout and an unimpressed expression took over his face. "Really? _I told you so_ ? You're not supposed to say _I told you so_ to your husband."

"We're not husbands yet," Steve pointed out in response, earning another groan from Bucky. "And besides, I'm pretty sure it's the opposite. Once we're married I'm _required_ to say _I told you so_. In stupidity and in health and all, right?"

"That's not how it goes," Bucky grumbled, removing himself from Steve's side so he could cross his arms over his chest and childishly sulk at the window. "Are we at least almost there?" Bucky asked after a second of silence.

As if on cue, the driver pulled up to the curb, right in front of their first local business of choice this morning. Maximoff's Maximum, a nice storefront doubling as both a bakery as well as a kitchen specializing in catering. It was run by a pair of siblings, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, if Steve remembered correctly. All the reviews he and Bucky and Sharon had read had all been raving, going on and on about how Wanda was a witch with her gravity defying cake designs and how Pietro could whip up even the most complicated of dishes in record time without ever skimping on flavor or presentation.

Frankly, Steve was excited to meet them. He had high hopes that they'd be perfect for the job. And not to mention, since their business was a two in one, their pricing was much cheaper than if they were to find a separate bakery and catering business. So, yeah, Steve really wanted this to go well.

"Oh thank god," Bucky groaned, pressing his hands and nose up to the window like a child as he waited for the cab to come to a full and complete stop. The wheels just barely stopped rolling when Bucky threw the door open and tumbled out of the backseat.

Steve rolled his eyes fondly and reached into his pocket to pull his wallet out and pay the cabbie.

Outside, Bucky was waiting impatiently, tapping his foot and giving Steve desperate eyes. "Come on," he mouthed.

Just for that, Steve reached for his credit card rather than cash. He was absolutely going to drag this out as long as he could just to spite Bucky. Karma was a bitch, after all. He should have listened to Steve.

Wearing a smug, self-satisfied expression, Steve pocketed his wallet again and finally exited the vehicle. As he was stepping out, Bucky practically pounced on him, grabbing at his arm to pull him the rest of the way out and speed up his process.

"Steven Grant Rogers, _come on, you asshole_ ," Bucky whined. He fixed Steve with the most cutting glare he could muster— which wasn't very harsh, Steve noted with a laugh. "I will rescind my proposal right god damn now if you don't move your ass, punk," he threatened.

Steve knew he didn't mean anything by that, but he picked up his pace out of the goodness of his heart anyway. "Alright, alright, I'm coming. Don't get your panties in a twist, Barnes," he grinned.

"My panties are just fine, thanks very much," Bucky retorted cheekily, winking at Steve. His arm was still looped with Steve's, tugging him along towards the door.

The name, Maximoff's Maximum, stood out against the glass of the door in a fancy red cursive font. The words _bakery_ and _restaurant_ sat below it in thick black print, a tiny dot separating them. In terms of logo design, it wasn't too bad, Steve thought. So far, so good.

He and Bucky stepped up to the door, still attached at the arm, and Steve reached for the handle, pulling the door open. Bucky stepped on his heel in his haste to push through the door.

As soon as the glass parted, Steve's was enveloped in a warmth only an oven could give off and the overpowering scents of fresh baked goods. Sugars and spices and everything nice hitting his nose.

It was _heavenly_.

" _Oh my god_ ," Bucky practically moaned into Steve's ear.

The two of them stood in the doorway, taking the place in; the sights, the smells. To their left, a giant glass case stretching nearly the entire length of the room sat, proudly showing off a whole assortment of pastries and cookies and little cakes. Along the top, larger cakes of all shapes and designs were displayed. There was one that looked like it was split down the middle, each side peeled back to expose a garden of fondant flowers in the middle; another looked like a stack of satin pillows, a pair of very real looking modeling chocolate rings at the top; one of the cakes had each layer stacked in a topsy turvy design that baffled Steve. They were _stunning_ , and Steve found himself even more excited to talk with the baker, Wanda, and see what her brilliant mind could cook up— or bake up.

To the right, they were met with a slightly different layout. Another counter mirrored the display case, but behind it was a fully stocked kitchen, complete with industrial sized ovens and stoves and refrigerators. It was a beautiful kitchen, sleek and shiny and everything Steve would have loved his own kitchen to be if only his apartment were big enough. And if only he cooked more.

The center of the room mixed the red and chrome accents together; a perfect blend of each side. There were several rectangular tables, comfortable looking chairs filling each side of them. One of them had a large binder and a clipboard with a pen tied to it sitting on top. If Steve had to guess he'd say that was waiting for them.

"Oh!" An accented voice pulled Steve and Bucky out of their baked goods induced haze, and Steve's eyes snapped over to the source. A woman, about a head shorter than him, appeared from the bakery kitchen. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a streak of flour across her cheek and all down the front of her frilly red apron. She was wiping her hands on a dish towel, and set it onto the edge of the display case before making her way closer. "You must be Steve and Bucky, no?" She asked, her red lips parting into a wide smile, kohl lined eyes crinkling at the corners.

"That would be us," Steve responded good-naturedly. He took a step forward, pulling a still attached to him Bucky along, and held his hand out.

"It's great to meet you. My name's Wanda, I'm the resident baker here at Maximoff's Maximum," she introduced, taking Steve's hand, then Bucky's. "My twin brother, Pietro, is in the back checking on some mini quiche," Wanda informed, jerking her thumb towards the restaurant kitchen. "He should be out shortly."

Turning on her heel, Wanda started to weave her way through the tables and chairs until she stopped beside the one with the binder and clipboard on top. She waited until Steve and Bucky had reached the side opposite of her before she took a seat. They followed her lead.

"You two are a very cute couple," Wanda said, nodding towards where Bucky's hands were still wrapped around Steve's bicep.

Steve felt himself blush.

"Oh," Bucky said, surprised. It was almost as if he'd just realized he was still holding on. "Thank you." He let one hand drop down to his lap and uncurled the other one so he could pat Steve's arm. It felt a bit awkward to Steve, but it must have come across as completely natural to Wanda, as her smile only widened.

"How long have you two been together?" Wanda asked, leaning her elbows onto the table and folding her hands together. The binder and clipboard both remained untouched, set aside. It made sense, though; Steve read that most vendors liked to get to know their clientele before showing them any of their product. They liked digging deep in order to get a better grasp on the clients's personalities as well as what would fit best with their ideas and plans so far.

"Twenty-three years," Bucky responded, at the same time Steve said, "two months."

Steve froze, eyes going wide. Well shit. That definitely didn't sound good.

Across the way, Wanda sat up a little, a thin brow lifting in confusion.

"We've only been engaged for two months," Steve clarified. "But, um, we've known each other for twenty-three years." He made a mental note that he and Bucky needed to figure out a proper answer for this kind of question since it was bound to come up again.

A look of understanding crossed over Wanda's face. "Ah," she said. "That's sweet. How long have you two been a couple then?" She rephrased her question.

Double shit. They didn't have an answer for this, and Steve was afraid that if he opened his mouth to answer, he and Bucky would spit out different numbers again.

"Well, we've known each other nearly our whole lives, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint exact dates, y'know? It was kind of just a natural progression. It just... felt right," Bucky explained. "But, I mean, I do remember the exact moment I knew I was gonna marry Steve."

In his chest, Steve's heart rate kicked up a notch. Realistically, he knew that whatever Bucky was about to say was for show; to cover up their botched dates and help avoid those weird questions about the true nature of their marriage. But he couldn't help it; real or not, Bucky's words stirred something up in Steve. They had been for a while now.

Wanda lit up. "Oh, please share," she gushed.

Bucky cast Steve a split second glance and shot him a tiny half smile before he dove right in. "I'd say it was about ten years ago," he started.

Ten years ago? That was when they made their promise. _He's just setting things in reality a little; lies are always easier to tell if they're set in reality_ , Steve told himself. It didn't have to mean anything.

"I remember we were hanging out that night, just the two of us. We were in my backyard, sitting on a pair of those cheap foldable lawn chairs? You know the ones?" Bucky laughed to himself. "My family had a fire pit in our backyard, and we had it going that night. We, uh, we cracked open a bottle of peach schnapps and we were passing that back and forth, just enjoying each other's company."

Steve was chewing intently on his lower lip as he listened. So far Bucky hadn't changed a single detail of that night, the one they made their promise on. He'd only left out the reason why they were passing that peach schnapps back and forth. Everything else was entirely true.

"It got darker and Steve kept bugging me about roasting marshmallows." Bucky jerked his thumb towards Steve. "This one here always demanded s’mores whenever that fire was going. And, well, who was I to say no, right?" He chuckled. Steve did too. "So we did. Roasted marshmallows,” he continued. “God, we were out there, like, the whole night. The stars were out and the crickets were chirping, all of it. And at one point, Steve was just going on about something— I couldn't tell you what, though, 'cause I just remember looking over at him," Bucky shook his head, a fond smile curving onto his lips, "and he, uh, he still had a little bit of marshmallow goop on his cheek. But I remember thinking he still looked so beautiful. I could just... look at him forever. That night, it was the first time I'd seen him smile that big in a while. But he was smiling. Because of me." Bucky shrugged helplessly. "It's selfish, but I wanted to be the only one that could make him smile that big. I wanted to do that everyday for the rest of my life. And I just. I knew. In that moment, I knew. One day I would marry Steve Rogers."

It felt like all the air in Steve's lungs had been punched right out; like his asthma had suddenly found its way back to him after all these years and stole his breath right from his chest. But it wasn't his asthma. It was Bucky. Goddamn Bucky Barnes. With his _goddamn_ story about that _goddamn_ night and his _goddamn_ feelings. They were embellished, Steve knew they were. Bucky hadn't actually had those thoughts that night; he hadn't actually decided he would marry Steve. He'd proposed their promise, of course, but that was totally different. The two had nothing to do with each other, it was just Bucky changing the story up for Wanda's sake. But god damn, did they feel real, did Bucky's words feel real.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Wanda cooed, placing a hand over her heart. Her expression had melted into something sweet, her eyes soft as she glanced between Bucky and Steve.

Steve had to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat. He had a vague inkling as to why he was suddenly feeling so choked up, as to why Bucky's words had _such_ an affect on him, but as he'd been doing ever since Bucky's impromptu return, Steve pushed it down and tried not to dwell on it too much.

It really didn't help that the look on Bucky's face was so genuine, brows pulled together, soft, private smile pulling at his pouty pink lips. God damn, Bucky should have taken up acting instead of the military.

"That, uh, that is sweet," Steve told him, the corners of his own mouth pinching up. "I... didn't know that."

"I never really told anyone about it before," Bucky said with a small shrug. "It hasn't really come up until now."

Before Steve could even try to start unpacking the meaning behind that, they were interrupted by a few banging noises coming from the restaurant's kitchen, and then the appearance of a man.

This, Steve assumed, must be Wanda's brother. He was tall, with floppy dyed blonde hair and neat stubble over his cheeks. A gray t-shirt boasting the business's name stretched across his chest and over his well defined arms, and he balanced a tray with four glasses of water as he made his way over.

"Pietro!" Wanda called. "You just missed the sweetest story," she informed him, shaking her head at his tardiness.

Pietro offered up an apologetic expression and set the tray down in the middle of the table. "My apologies," he said. "I had to finish some last minute preparations for today's delivery." With that he turned towards Steve and Bucky, and the three of them went through their pleasantries and introductions.

"You're just in time, though," Wanda said, reaching for the binder and clipboard. "I was just about to start talking business." Pulling the clipboard towards herself, Wanda flipped to the first page attached and uncapped her pen. "First we're going to start out with a little bit of information about the wedding itself. The date, venue, guest count."

"Those are all easy questions," Steve replied with a laugh. He was glad that they were moving on to the meat and potatoes of the consultation. He didn't think he could handle anymore cute couple stories. "Our wedding will be at the end of September. Um, it's a pretty small ordeal, only around 75 guests, so your workload for such a short amount of time won't be anything too insane."

"Oh, perfect, small weddings are always so intimate, they're really lovely," Wanda said, noting Steve's answers on the paper. "And your venue?" She asked.

"We got a good story here," Bucky chimed in with a chuckle. "I kid you not, this morning we got a call from our wedding planner telling us that she just got a call from none other than the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens telling her that there was a couple that had the Palm House booked for the same weekend we were looking to have our wedding that had to back out. They already put down a deposit and everything but at this point it's nonrefundable." The grin on Bucky's face slowly grew the closer he got to the good news. "They're offering the Palm House to us at a much cheaper rate than they usually do because of that. Which means, we can now afford to get married there. So we are."

"That's wonderful news!" Pietro exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"How fortunate," Wanda agreed. "Brooklyn Botanical Gardens are beautiful. Oh, I can already feel the inspiration coming now that I know you're getting married there," she chuckled.

"I like the sound of that," Steve joked good-naturedly.

"Good, good," Wanda replied. "So now that the general information is accounted for, I'd like to start getting into the specifics of your order. First and foremost, I think we need to establish whether you'll be using a display cake or not. If you're unfamiliar, a display cake is simply a cake made of styrofoam, with the top tier as the only real layer of cake. It's there for look, obviously, and then a sheet cake is in the back to be cut up and served. Usually, this is a much cheaper option, however, because your guest count is as low as it is, the prices here probably wouldn't be too different, so it's really up to you and what you two would like."

"I'm willing to spend a little extra for a real cake," Steve told them with a shrug. Maybe it was the traditionalist in him, but he always liked the idea of the cake everyone sees as the one they eat. His eyes flickered over to Bucky to see his reaction.

Bucky nodded, surprising Steve a little. "Yeah, that's alright with me too," he agreed.

"Excellent," Wanda said, smiling as she checked off the real cake option on her order form.

"Now, when it comes to decorations, there's a lot of specifics we can get into. For instance, do you prefer a fondant or buttercream base? If you want to incorporate flowers into the design, which I think would work very well in this case, do you prefer fresh or sugar flowers? Are you looking for a more ornate appearance, or something simple or modern? Things like that."

Wanda spent the next few minutes walking them through all kinds of similar questions and taking down all of their thoughts and opinions about each one. She always made sure to supply them with as much knowledge as she could, pointing out the merits of each option before Steve and Bucky discussed it and came to their own conclusions.

Once the overarching details of the cake had been mostly decided on, or at least heard out and left for consideration, Wanda pulled out two laminated lists from the binder and presented them to Steve and Bucky. Each one, Steve learned, was filled from top margin to bottom margin with every single variant of cake and frosting flavors and types. They even had little symbols next to each option signalling which season they worked best in and which cake type and frosting type paired together best.

Steve didn't even know some of the cake and frosting flavors existed, there were so many new ones, and just reading them over had his mouth watering and stomach rumbling, eager to get to the tasting. And if he was this ready for the tasting, he could only imagine how Bucky must have felt, having not eaten breakfast or lunch.

Finally, Wanda set down the sheets of options. A grin slowly unfurled across her red lips and she folded her hands on top of the table in front of her. To Steve's right, Bucky was practically vibrating out of his seat.

"Are we ready to try some cakes now?" Wanda asked.

"I've been ready since I got here," Bucky joked.

"Let's do this," Steve said, rubbing his hands together in front of him.

Wanda chuckled and stood up from the table. "Alright, I'll go grab the samples and we can get this show on the road."

Pietro hopped up to help Wanda fetch the cakes taste, and the two of them disappeared into the bakery kitchen for a moment.

"Steve," Bucky said. "You're gonna have to be the real judge here, at least for the first few. I might be a bit biased because everything I eat is gonna taste amazing purely because it's _food_ in my _empty stomach_."

Steve snorted and shook his head at Bucky. "Oh no... oh no, they're coming... the words are... I can't stop myself... I... _I told you so_ ," Steve over dramatically spit out, falling into a fit of laughter at the totally unimpressed look that took over Bucky's face.

"Ugh, fuck you, you ass," Bucky grumbled without malice, giving Steve a good shove.

When Wanda and Pietro returned, they each had a tray full of an assortment of mini cakes. There were about four round cakes on each, all with various colors and textures and decorations. Steve felt a thrill go through him and he unconsciously licked his lips.

"Alright," Wanda said, setting her tray down. She slid back into her seat and passed a fork each to Steve and Bucky. "We've got a lot of good options for you today, I'm excited to see what you think of each. It's always best to have a clean palate going into each new option so the flavors don't mix and give you a false impression. I like to encourage you to use the waters Pietro brought out earlier for this, just take a small sip in between."

"This first one here is a southern hazelnut praline cake," Wanda said, gesturing towards the first cake on the top left corner of the tray. The cake was small and round, a smooth layer of tan buttercream coating it. The entire top surface of the cake was covered in a dark chocolate ganache that artfully dripped down the sides. When Wanda cut into it, a golden vanilla inside was revealed with more of that tan buttercream in between the layers. "It's a vanilla cake with a frangelico hazelnut liqueur. The filling you see here is the same as the frosting on the outside— a hazelnut praline buttercream. On top we have a dark chocolate ganache." She plated two slices of the cake and passed them over to Steve and Bucky, then set the knife down.

Bucky dug his fork into his slice almost immediately, stuffing it as politely as he could into his mouth. Steve, on the other hand, was a little calmer about it, but then again, he'd eaten breakfast and lunch.

"Oh my god," Bucky gushed. "This is amazing!" His head dropped back, face scrunched up in pleasure. It was the kind of sight that made Steve feel a little tight in the pants, and he immediately shoveled another bite of cake into his mouth to distract himself from _that_ thought.

"It's so good," Steve agreed, savoring his bite. He set his fork down to stop himself from taking another bite. Or twelve. No matter how delicious this cake was, they still had seven other cakes to try, and he didn't want to fill up on the first one.

"I'm glad to hear that," Wanda replied, smiling proudly. "This cake's my grandmother's recipe. It's one of my favorite to make. Quite popular with weddings, too."

"It's definitely in the running," Steve said, laughing a little.

Next, they tried a take on a caramel apple— warm and sweet and spiced. Then came a more classic red velvet, with a chocolate mousse filling and a delicious cream cheese buttercream. Their palates were lightened with a fresh strawberries and cream cake. Following that came a citrusy lemon poppy seed cake with a perfectly sweet and tangy lemon curd fill. After that was a fall inspired pumpkin spice cake that tasted nearly identical to the pumpkin pie Winnie Barnes made at every Thanksgiving gathering Steve had been invited to.

Every single flavor combination Wanda presented them with never ceased to impress them, and Steve had a hard time narrowing it down to his favorites.

But when Wanda finally presented them with the final cake on the trays, Steve's heart was sold. This one was the most eye catching of them all, in Steve's opinion. Small and circular like the rest, but this one was covered with a creamy looking brown frosting. In a regal halo around the rim of the cake, little tufts of white cream sat with a single raspberry garnishing each. Wanda lifted the serving knife and cut out one larger slices, placing it on a plate which she then passed over to Steve and Bucky. "This one is a chocolate raspberry truffle cake. It's made with chocolate cake brushed with chambord liqueur, and it's filled with a dark chocolate ganache and a hint of raspberry preserves."

Steve admired the slice for a moment, appreciating the balance of colors before sinking his fork into the end. He brought the bite up to his mouth and the second it hit his tongue, flavor after flavor exploded across his taste buds. The chocolate was rich, but it was nicely balanced by the raspberry preserves— not too little and not too much.

"Oh, god," he groaned. "Buck, you've gotta try this." Steve broke off another bite and held his fork out for Bucky.

Instead of taking the fork from Steve, though, Bucky just leaned forward and closed his lips around the piece, eating it right off the end.

Steve's brain nearly short-circuited as Bucky full on moaned around the bite. "Ohh, oh my god." His head dropped back, eyes closed, and his face scrunched up in pleasure. It was the kind of sight that made Steve suddenly feel a little tight in the pants, and he immediately shoveled another bite of cake into his mouth to distract himself from that thought.

"Oh, man, Stevie, if I hadn't already asked you to marry me I'd do it now. That was the best thing you've ever given me," Bucky gushed. "This is it," he continued. "This is the one. God, I want everyone to taste this."

Wanda laughed, her cheeks going a little pink from all the praise. "Steve?" She asked. "What do you think about that? Is this _the one_?"

Maybe it was Bucky's reaction still reverberating through his mind, or maybe it was all the delicious flavors, but either way, Steve found himself nodding. "Yeah," he answered. "Yeah, this one's fantastic, I'd love to have it at our wedding."

"So it's settled then," Wanda said, filling out the rest of the form with the proper information. "You've got your cake now!"

"Now you just have to pick a perfect menu to match," Pietro chimed in, sending the group a cheeky grin.

Picking a menu was just as exciting and enjoyable as exploring all their cake options was. He didn't have any samples of his dishes for them to taste, unfortunately, but he had plenty of photos and detailed descriptions, as well as reviews from previous clients. It was all more than enough to give Steve and Bucky a good idea of which meal would be perfect for their wedding. Pietro was an extremely talented cook, and he was full of all kinds of wonderful ideas. From lobster and mashed potatoes at a reasonable price, to perfectly cooked filet mignon and green beans, to grilled chicken and cherry tomato skewers, and so many more delicious options. It didn't take long before Steve and Bucky found one they loved.

And just in time too. Their appointment with the florists was coming up and they still had to catch a cab and fight traffic to get there.

With their order placed, it was time to bid Wanda and Pietro goodbye.

"Thank you so much for all your help today," Steve said, shaking Wanda and Pietro's hands. "I can't wait to see what you guys do for us, I have no doubt it will be absolutely fantastic!"

"It was great to meet the two of you, and we wish you the very best with the rest of your planning," Wanda replied sweetly.

"The next time we see you will be your wedding, so until then, I hope everything goes well for you," Pietro said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!! I hope everyone else's Monday is going better than mine already is at 7:22 in the morning. 
> 
> Did anyone notice the number of chapters go up? Hehe, it did! In the midst of working on what was spposed to be the last chapter I decided to split it into two! So there will now be 9 instead of just 8!! :)
> 
> This chapter in particular is one of my favorites, so I hope you all like it too!! 
> 
> (Special thank you to Snuzz for Thor-checking for me; this was my first time writing him and lemme tell you, he's a lot harder to write than he looks! So I apologize for any descrepencies in his character, I did my best lol)
> 
>  
> 
> [Here](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7825/47247187901_dccd24206b_z.jpg) you can find art done by the wonderful [Indy](https://ribbonsflyingoutthewindow.tumblr.com/)!

Thankfully, hailing a cab outside of Maximoff's Maximum wasn't too difficult, and within no time Steve and Bucky were stuffed in the backseat, heading through the busy New York traffic to get to their next appointment.

Their next destination of the day wasn't too far from the first, and traffic seemed to be working in their favor, allowing them a fairly quick journey.

First the venue, now traffic? Fate really was on their side today.

This time around Bucky wasn't as eager to exit the cab, and he even offered to pay for it, much to Steve's pleasure.

A visit to the florists was up next, and as Steve stepped out of the cab he knew they were in the right place. The shop sat on the corner, a lovely shade of faded yellow. A dark green awning hung from the top, the words _The Asgarden_ painted in thick white font. On either side of the building, it's lime green painted double doors were pushed wide open, giving it a welcoming feel. But it wasn't the colors or the interesting layout or the creative business name that caught Steve's eye. It was the countless crates full of hundreds and hundreds of flowers that spilled out from those open doors. They were bright and bold and beautiful, framing the doorway perfectly, invitingly. It was a brilliant business move; Steve felt himself drawn to the pathway, unable to take his eyes off of the gorgeous blooms and petals as his feet carried him.

He stopped next to a crate full of sunflowers to admire them. The petals were a vibrant yellow, the center a rich brown. Steve brought a hand up to carefully stroke over the petal, to take in the softness of it.

"Hey, Stevie, you can stop to smell the roses in a little bit, we're gonna be late," Bucky said, drawing Steve's attention back to the present and the reason they were even here in the first place.

"Right," he said, laughing a little. "And these are sunflowers, Buck. I would expect even you should know that," he joked.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "I do, I just wanted to use that expression. It's not every day you're in a flower shop and can," he laughed.

The two of them followed the flower surrounded pathway into the shop. If Steve thought the outside had had a lot of flowers, it was nothing compared to he inside. There were buckets and crates and those hanging pots full of all sorts of flowers in every size and shape and color imaginable. It was magical, really. Steve almost felt like he was entering a completely different world.

Steve stopped again to look at a particularly interesting flower in one of the buckets to his left. It was tall, with dozens of little buds hanging off of it, but what caught Steve’s attention most was, upon closer glance, each little bud resembled the figure of a tiny man. Two arms, two legs, there was even a thin nub of a petal protruding between the legs. Steve chuckled under his breath.

“Ah, I see you’ve found the Naked Man Orchid,” A boisterous voice boomed, startling Steve a little and pulling both his and Bucky’s attention towards the owner of said voice. Tall, beefy, and so blonde. The man standing behind the counter was huge, as in, built like a god damn house huge. His biceps were bulging from his shirt sleeves as he held up a handful of flowers stems and clipped the ends, and the rest of the shirt fit him well. He had long blonde hair, half of it pulled back while the rest settled over his shoulders, and Steve caught sight of a thin braid in the midst. His mouth was spread into a delightful grin, with a scruffy beard surrounding it. He set his scissors and the flowers down and moved out from behind the counter. “I’m sure you can guess why they’re called that,” the man continued, chuckling lightly as he approached Steve and Bucky and the Naked Man Orchids in front of them. “As amusing as they are, not everyone can appreciate their true beauty, so I wouldn’t recommend adding them to a bouquet unless you know you’re giving it to someone with a sense of humor.”

Steve laughed louder this time. “I bet you’d get a kick outta these if I sent them to you, huh?” He asked, nudging Bucky.

Bucky grinned and nodded. “You know I would.”

The man beamed at them. “Wonderful, wonderful,” he chuckled. “Welcome in, you two. My name is Thor. Are you looking to put together a bouquet of Naked Man Orchids, or is there something else I can help you with today?”

"Actually we have a consultation with you and a woman called Jane, I believe," Steve responded. "Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, here to pick out some flowers for our wedding."

Thor's face lit up at that. "Ah, right," he said. "Welcome in Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, and congratulations on your wedding."

"Thank you," Steve replied, returning the smile.

"If you two wait here I'll go fetch Jane, she's in the back filling an order," Thor explained, holding up a hand before disappearing behind the counter and into the back.

Thor returned a few minutes later with a petite brunette woman in tow. She was a good head shorter than him with delicate features and soft brown hair held back by a mustard yellow rolled bandana. When she spotted Steve and Bucky a big smile spread across her lips.

"Hi!" She greeted happily, pushing up the sleeves of her flannel so she could offer up her hand to each of them. "I'm Jane, it's lovely to meet you two."

"Likewise," Steve responded, shaking her hand. "I'm Steve and this is my fiance Bucky," he introduced. He felt a little giddy calling Bucky his fiance— that hadn't worn off from the first time yet, and he wasn't sure it ever would. And if he felt this happy calling him his fiance, calling Bucky his husband was going to make him feel like he was walking on air.

"This is such a cute place you guys have got here," Bucky commented, glancing around the shop again. "So many flowers," he laughed.

Jane grinned and looper her arm into Thor's, leaning her head onto his shoulder for a moment. "Thank you," she said. "We've had it for a few years now, but we got it right after we got married," she explained. "It's always been my dream to own a flower shop and Thor here was nothing if not the most supportive husband there is and bought this place for me." She cast a glance up at Thor, who returned the look with just as much sweetness behind it.

"Anything for my Jane," Thor said.

Steve felt a bit like he was intruding on their moment. But another part of him couldn't help but wonder if he and Bucky would look at each other like that once they were married too. It was such an adoring look, and Steve found himself yearning to be on the receiving end of it from Bucky.

“And besides, how could I pass up the opportunity to name this place after my namesake’s home _and_ make a pun out of it?” Thor added in a joking tone, referencing the Norse mythology.

"That's such a sweet story," Steve said.

Jane's cheeks pinked a little and she ducked her head bashfully.

"So," Thor said, clapping his hands together. "You two are here for your wedding," he declared. “That’s wonderful news. Congratulations. Have you two picked out a date yet?”

“We have, actually,” Bucky answered. “We’re thinking the end of September.”

“Excellent. There are plenty of gorgeous flowers in bloom then,” Thor said. “Will your ceremony be taking place indoors or outdoors?”

“Indoors,” Steve responded. “Our venue will be indoors.”

Thor fired off a few more questions, these more geared towards flowers and the possible arrangements they could create. It was clear how much he enjoyed his job by how eager he was to learn everything he could about Steve and Bucky’s flower preferences.

“Honey,” Jane interrupted, giving Thor a look. “Just give them the form, stop pestering them with all these questions they’re just going to have to answer again.”

“Right, yes, of course,” Thor responded, smiling sweetly at Jane. “Excuse me a minute,” he directed towards Steve and Bucky, then extracted himself from Jane’s side so he could fetch one of the form’s Jane was talking about. He returned a moment later, then he and Jane led Steve and Bucky to the back of the shop where a table and chairs were set up. "You two can sit here and fill this out, and once you finish we can take a look at it and talk flowers!"

Steve took the clipboard from Thor and slipped into one of the chairs. Bucky placed himself in the chair directly next to Steve, and as he scooted in, his knee knocked into Steve's. Steve cleared his throat and focused on the form and definitely not the warmth of Bucky's thigh pressing into his beneath the table.

 _Pre-Consultation Checklist_ was printed across the top of the page in bold lettering, followed by several sections of questions for Steve and Bucky to fill out. The first section asked for basic information about the wedding: their names, date of the wedding, the ceremony and reception locations, number of guests. It was all easy information that didn't require any discussion, so Steve started to scribble down the answers.

He'd just finished writing the _y_ in Bucky's name when Bucky let out a quiet groan. "Steve," he whined. "Steve, please let me write it," he said. "That chicken scratch you call your handwriting is barely legible."

A surprised laugh bubbled out of Steve. "There's nothing wrong with my handwriting," he responded. Looking over what he'd written so far— which wasn't much at all— he could definitely make out each letter.

"I really hate to be the one to break it to you, but for an artist you handwriting is really shitty," Bucky replied with a laugh. "Like, it's so bad you should've been a doctor. You would've fit right in." He snorted at his own joke.

Steve rolled his eyes, and made a show out of passing Bucky the pen.

"Stick to word art on a computer, pal," Bucky joked, starting to fill out the rest of the general information.

Steve laughed. "I haven't used word art since like fifth grade," he said, peering over at the sheet. As much as he hated to admit it, Bucky's handwriting was much better than his, neat and loopy and way more legible. Steve still firmly held that his was decipherable, though.

The following section held more specific questions, like what was their wedding theme going to be? And did they have a specific color scheme in mind?

This was something they had discussed in great detail both on their own and with Sharon. Taking everything into account they'd decided on a more rustic theme, thanks to Steve's many Pinterest saves. Everything from string lights and mason jars to wooden elements and artfully rusted metals. As for color schemes, that had been harder to decide on, but Steve and Bucky both came to the conclusion that they liked a navy and cream color combination, accented with lighter shades of blue as well as greens inspired by the gorgeous plants surrounding the venue.

"Try to be as detailed as you can here," Steve advised, nodding towards the paper. "I want them to be able to picture exactly what we're talking about."

"Okay," Bucky said. "How should I describe it then?"

Steve paused to think for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to answer. "Maybe... maybe just, like, mention that we've decided on navy blue tablecloths and little tea lights all over the tables. And how we want the centerpieces to incorporate wicker or twine. I think those kinds of descriptions give a good visual for what we're going for," he said.

"Got it," Bucky mumbled, brining the pen to the paper. He did his best to put their ideas into comprehensible ideas, making sure to jot down Steve's suggestions and any other details he could think of that they already discussed.

Once that was finished, the final section on the form asked for information concerning the bridal party and the groom's party, like the number of bouquets and boutonnieres needed.

"Okay, so we've got my sisters as bridesmaids, and we agreed on Peggy and Natasha, right?" Bucky double checked.

Steve nodded. "Exactly," he responded.

Asking Peggy to be a bridesmaid had been a total given; she was Steve's best friend besides Bucky, and it wouldn't be a complete wedding if she didn't have a part in it. The same went for Natasha as well. She was close to both Steve and Bucky and had been for a long while now, so it was only natural to ask her to be apart of their wedding party as well. As for Bucky's sisters, well, that was a given. Of course they were going to be a part of their wedding. They were, after all, some of their biggest supporters, if that phone call made anything clear.

Picking their groomsmen had been just as easy. After much deliberation, they'd come to the conclusion that rather than have one best man each, they would just have three. Sam, Tony, and Clint. It made everything easier, and there would be no arguments over who got the coveted title of best man.

"Groomsmen are Sam, Tony, and Clint, so that means three boutonnieres," Bucky said.

Before he could write three in the designated spot, though, Steve interjected. "Five," he said, and when Bucky gave him a confused look, he elaborated. "You and i need boutonnieres, too, so that's five, not three."

"Right," Bucky said, touching a finger to his temple. "You're one smart cookie, Rogers," he grinned. "What would I do without you?"

"Be mathematically challenged," Steve teased, earning a snort and an eye roll from Bucky.

"Alright, alright, no need to call out my math skills like that," Bucky laughed, holding up his hands in surrender. "So, I think we're all done with this now," he said a moment later, capping the pen and setting it down. He lifted the clipboard off of the table and held it up, giving his answers a quick read through. Once he was satisfied with how everything looked, he passed it along to Steve so he could do the same.

Taking the clipboard from Bucky, Steve took a moment to scan over their answers as well. Happy with the answers Bucky wrote, he gave a nod and placed it back on the table. "It all looks good to me," he confirmed, flashing a thumbs up.

As if on cue, Thor appeared from around the corner. "Everything going well back here?" He asked, checking up on them.

"Actually we just finished filling the form out," Steve answered, picking the clipboard up again and holding it out for Thor to take.

"Ah, perfect," Thor said, taking the clipboard. He pulled out one of the chairs across from Steve and Bucky and seated himself in it, taking a few moments to read through all of their answers. At one point he chuckled to himself. “Tea lights?” Thor read off of the form, looking up at Steve and Bucky. “Jane and I had tea lights at our wedding ceremony, too. A truly fine idea until my brother got drunk and set a table on fire.” He laughed good-naturedly.

“Oh, wow,” Steve commented, laughing along. “That must have been an eventful wedding.”

“It absolutely was,” Thor agreed. “This all sounds truly wonderful,” he said, referring to their answers. “You two have a magnificent wedding planned, and I’m sure it will be quite the eventful evening as well.”

"Thank you," Steve said, a pleased smile curving onto his lips.

"Oh, looks like you finished," Jane said, approaching the table. She pulled out her own chair next to Thor and joined them at the table. She waited for Thor to finish reading through their answers before she took the clipboard and did the same herself.

"Navy blue and cream, lovely colors together. Very sophisticated," Jane commented, grinning broadly at them. "You can do a lot with those too. I've already got a few ideas popping up."

"Before we start throwing flower names and arrangement plans at you, we have a few more bases to cover," Thor said. "First of all, the boutonnieres— are you interested in all of them being the same, or would you like the ones for the two of you to stand out a bit more?"

That was a good question. Steve pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he thought and glanced over at Bucky to see if he had an answer. "What do you think?" He asked him.

"I think that would be a good idea," Bucky replied. "Having ours be different. I like that."

"Have you picked out suits yet?" Thor asked.

"We have," Bucky answered with a nod. "Just last week actually."

"Great, great. What colors did you choose?”

"We both actually went with navy blue suits," Steve answered.

"Very nice," Thor replied. "I'm sure the two of you look fantastic in them. I think flowers of complimentary colors to the suits would work best for you both. That way they won’t clash with the suit, but will draw attention in a more positive way. So perhaps a nice cream colored bud with maybe a few sprigs of dark green. It would tie it all together rather nicely."

"That sounds lovely," Steve said.

"I think that would look really nice, yeah," Bucky agreed.

"And the bridesmaids and groomsmen? Is there a preferred flower color there?"

"Peggy's in charge of making sure the bridesmaids get their dresses. We did tell her we wanted them to be navy blue as well," Bucky said. "So their bouquets can probably match the centerpieces."

"The groomsmen are going to be in sandy, tan tuxes," Steve added. "So maybe their boutonnieres can have a little blue in them?"

Thor took note of their preferences on the form they filled out. "Excellent," he said.

"Now," Jane said, cutting in. "For the centerpiece arrangements and everything else, were there any specific flowers the two of you know for certain you'd like us to include?"

"Uh, you know, I'm actually not sure," Steve answered, chuckling awkwardly. "I hadn't really given that any thought."

"Would you mind if we looked around? See if anything here catches our eye?" Bucky asked.

"Not at all," Jane replied.

"Go right ahead," Thor agreed. "We want you two to be completely satisfied with these arrangements, so please, do take a look and let us know if you find anything."

"While the two of you do that Thor and I can start gathering some possible arrangements for you to see what they'll look like together," Jane said.

"Perfect," Steve responded.

With that, he and Bucky rose from their seats and headed into the midst of all the flowers.

They weren't set up in any special order, not alphabetical, not by color, just blooms upon blooms in rows upon rows. There were so many different kinds of flowers peeking out of every space in the shop it almost felt like getting lost in a floral jungle. It was easy to forget they were actually just in a flower shop.

Keeping in mind their color scheme, the two of them set out to find flowers that could be used in their arrangements. Of course, they did have fun looking at other flowers too. Bright yellow Buttercups, billowing Balloon Flowers, Anemone's in all shades of the rainbow. None of them exactly fit the bill, but they were still gorgeous to admire, nonetheless.

Steve turned the corner and his eyes were immediately drawn to a bushel of Daisies, soft and white and full of life. They looked like the ones he and Bucky used to pick in his backyard, only bigger. Striding up to the bucket, Steve plucked one from the bunch and spun to find Bucky. He was standing by a pot of something floppy and white, lost in examining the flower.

"Hey, these are pretty, what do you think of—" Bucky cut himself off as Steve's hand came towards his face, a blur. "What are you doing?"

Steve tucked the stem of the Daisy behind Bucky's ear, along with some hair, a small smile gracing his lips at his handiwork.

"What is...?" Bucky trailed off, bringing a hand up to his ear to figure out what Steve did. His face was screwed up in confusion at first, making quite the sight. A disgruntled Bucky with a Daisy behind his ear truly was adorable, Steve thought. Part of him wanted to whip out his phone to snap a picture of this and save it forever. He didn't think Bucky would find it so amusing though.

The confusion melted into understanding when his fingers finally found the flower and it clicked into place. "What is it?" He asked, fingers gliding along the petals, trying to make out what kind of flower it was.

"It's a Daisy," Steve responded, giving Bucky a lopsided grin.

A matching smile curved onto Bucky's lips and he laughed a little. "Like the ones from your backyard," he said, and Steve felt his heart soar that Bucky remembered that.

"Yeah, like those," Steve said. "What'd you find over here?" He asked, remembering that Bucky had been about to ask him for his opinion.

"Oh, these are Calla Lilies," Bucky said, gesturing towards the flowers he was standing beside. Tall and thick stemmed, the Calla Lilies were beautiful; gorgeously shaped, a soft white curving petal with a pale yellow spadix in the center. "What do you think?"

"They're pretty," Steve answered, reaching out to gently caress the flower. "Really pretty." _Like you_ , Steve almost added, but caught himself before the words slipped out. He cleared his throat, swallowing down those words and the odd feeling they brought with them. "The yellow might throw things off, though, not being part of our color scheme and all," he pointed out.

"Ah," Bucky said, nodding. "Didn't think of that. Good point."

Steve nodded as well. "Yeah," he said. "Come on, let's keep looking."

They came across a few flowers that could be possible contenders: Forget Me Nots and Bell Flowers and Orchids in both colors. At one point they stumbled upon the roses, and Bucky pulled a white one from the bunch and stuck it between his teeth, waggling his eyebrows at Steve and smirking around the stem. He held out a hand for Steve to take, and when Steve placed his palm into Bucky's, Bucky spun him around immediately and dipped him so low and so unexpectedly that Steve nearly fell on his ass.

"Hey," Bucky said a few minutes later, pulling Steve's attention from the Snapdragons to see what Bucky found. His eyes fell on the bunch of Dahlias, pearly white and delicately beautiful, next to Bucky, and he inhaled sharply. "These were your mom's favorite, right?" Bucky asked, voice soft. "We should use them in the arrangement."

Steve was overwhelmed. By the mention of his mom, yes, but more so by the fact that Bucky _remembered_ that. Such a small detail, one that had only even been mentioned in passing. But he remembered. He remembered Steve saying he needed to find them before Mother's Day one year. He remembered just before Sarah's funeral when they weren't in season but Steve searched the whole city anyway until he found them. _He remembered_ . And more importantly, he actually wanted to incorporate them into their wedding. A flower, a _symbol_ , so important to Steve, and there Bucky was, telling him, not asking, that they should include them in the most important event of their lives.

"Yeah," Steve whispered, nodding. "Yeah, those were her favorite."

"We should use them in the arrangement," Bucky repeated.

All Steve could do was keep nodding, too dazed and touched to do much else.

"Oh," Bucky said, shifting towards the bucket of flowers beside the Dahlias. "And these. They're your favorite, right? They'd look so nice with the Dahlias." He pulled a few of the blooms from the pot and brought them together with the Dahlia he already had in hand.

He turned with the mini bouquet, ready to show Steve how lovely the two flowers paired together, but before he could say any of that to Steve, Steve grabbed Bucky's face between his hands and pressed his lips firmly against Bucky's.

Steve didn't think, not at all, he just _did_ . There were so many strong emotions being pulled up right now, so many ricocheting through his mind, and he just couldn't help it. Bucky knew so many small, personal details about him; His mom's favorite flowers, the way he takes his coffee, the insecurities that run rampant through his brain, the color of his favorite pair of socks, the medications he used to have to take. Things that anyone else either wouldn't ever know, or would never bother to remember. But Bucky _did_ , Bucky _does_ , he always does. There wasn't a single other person that knew Steve as well as Bucky did; no one that Steve would ever trust enough to know him in that way.

Overwhelmed by the need to express this verbally to Bucky in some way, Steve broke the kiss. As he pulled back, one of his hands slipped down from Bucky's cheek to rest against the side of his neck, while his other palm caressed Bucky's cheek. He took a moment to just look at Bucky, to take in the fresh color in his lips and the surprise written across his features. "I can't believe you remembered that," Steve breathed, brushing his thumb over the line of Bucky's jaw.

The surprise melted off of Bucky's face, features softening into something so warm, something so tender. "Of course I did," Bucky replied.

It was like time was suspended, the two of them gazing lovingly into each other's eyes as the moment settled around them. But then reality crashed back down around Steve, and he realized what he just did. His hands fell from Bucky, dropping down to his sides where he shoved them into his pockets. "Sorry," he apologized immediately. "Shit, I'm sorry."

The affectionate smile on Bucky's face slipped into something more sympathetic, and he shook his head. "It's okay, Steve," he said, brushing it off. He didn't appear bothered by the kiss at all— the picture of nonchalance.

Before either of them could say anything else— which might have been a good thing, in hindsight, considering everything that was going on in Steve's mind— Thor and Jane turned down the row they were standing in, dozens of flowers balanced in their arms.

"Steve, Bucky," Thor called, shifting the flowers into one arm so he could beckon them over with the other. "We've finished gathering flowers for a sample bouquet. Whenever you're ready we'll meet you back at the table to show you."

"We should—" Steve started, jerking his thumb towards where Thor and Jane had just been standing.

"— Go, yeah," Bucky agreed, nodding.

While Steve and Bucky had been traipsing through the flowers, admiring and laughing and... whatever that last moment had been... Thor and Jane had collected a myriad of flowers they thought would work nicely together in a bouquet.

Hydrangeas and Delphiniums and Scabiosas, Lisianthuses and white Roses and Snapdragons. The way they mixed these flowers together was truly spectacular, and Steve was blown away with how beautiful the arrangements were. Especially when Bucky informed Thor and Jane that they wanted Dahlias to be included. Those really brought the whole arrangement together, and Steve found himself fighting back happy tears at that.

Though he managed to hear what Thor and Jane had to say about the possible arrangements they created and the little details of them all, it was hard for Steve to really absorb their words. Ever since Bucky pointed out his mother's favorite flowers, that moment, and that spur of the moment kiss, he felt like he was in a daze. Like it was all he could think about.

 

 

And that daze seemed to follow him after they left. He felt it through their phone call with Sharon, updating her on their new plans. During dinner with Bucky, though he managed to hide it better here. Even that night, as he laid in bed trying to fall asleep, he was still dazed.

He'd been in bed for the last hour now. The first half of it he'd tried to get some reading done, hoping that he'd lose himself in the pages of his book and forget the storm raging in his head. But after rereading the same paragraph four times, he'd given up and decided that he wouldn't have to listen to his brain if he was asleep.

But of course, sleep didn't come. How could it when there was too much going on in his mind. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about what had happened, no matter how hard he tried, and try he did. Steve had been doing a great job of ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that flared up every time Bucky did something particularly attractive in his eyes. So why was it so hard for him to do the same with this?

 _Because you love him_ , that little voice whispered. _You love him and you can't deny it anymore. You_ don't want _to deny it anymore._

The thought was both startling and completely unsurprising, and as Steve laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling he couldn't help but start to laugh.

He loved Bucky. _Of course_ he did. It felt good to finally drop the lies and admit it to himself. He felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. God, was he stupid for thinking that his feelings had just gone away. Bucky was... well, he was Steve's first love, and there's always something special about a first love that never goes away. He really should have seen it coming that this would happen. All it took was Bucky bringing up his mom for him to realize it.

The urge to thank Bucky for that was overpowering, and it hit Steve all at once. He couldn't outright tell Bucky about his feelings, even he knew that, but the desire for Bucky to know just how much that moment meant to him was too strong to simply ignore. Because it had meant a lot to him, that moment.

Jerking upright, Steve cast a glance towards the clock on his nightstand. 1:27 am. It was entirely possible that Bucky was asleep, but something deep down told Steve to try anyways. He pushed his bedsheets back and dropped his feet over the side of the mattress and flat onto the floor. Tugging the hem of his shirt down, Steve made his way towards his door, pushing it open and quietly tiptoeing out into the hall. He moved slowly, dragging his palm against the wall to help navigate his way through the dark to Bucky's room without running into anything.

Thankfully, there was just a bathroom between Steve and Bucky's room, so the journey was quick and painless. Stepping up to Bucky's door, Steve lifted his fist and rapped his knuckles against the wood twice, making sure to keep it fairly quiet, then closed his fingers around the doorknob and pushed it open a crack.

"Steve?" Bucky asked, voice crackly from disuse. "What're you doing?"

"Did I wake you?" Steve wondered, opening the door wider so he could squeeze his way inside.

"Nah, I was up," Bucky responded.

Steve was relieved to hear that, and he padded over to Bucky's bed, stopping at the edge near the foot of it.

"What're you still doing up?" Bucky asked, stretching an arm out to turn on his lamp. A pale yellow glow suddenly filled the room, and Steve could make out Bucky's features much better now.

"Couldn't sleep," Steve answered simply. "Just... have a lot on my mind."

Bucky shifted on his mattress so he was sitting up, then leaned forward and tugged his pillow up so his back had a cushion as he rested against the headboard. Once he was comfortable he patted the space beside him. "C'mon, sit down," he offered. "You wanna talk about it?"

Steve lowered himself onto the edge of Bucky's bed, smoothing his palms onto the bedspread beneath him.

On the other end of the bed Bucky sighed. "What're you doing down there? You're not a damn cat, c'mon," he said, patting the spot next to him again.

The corner of Steve's mouth quirked up and he crawled up the bed and settled himself next to Bucky, mirroring Bucky with the pillow.

"What's on your mind?" Bucky asked once Steve was comfortable.

Steve was quiet for a moment, and he toyed with his fingers in his lap. "I've been thinking about earlier," he started, not specifying anything yet. "About the Dahlias."

"Oh," Bucky said softly, nodding.

"It meant a lot to me," Steve continued. He paused again, then took a shaky breath in. "It... it hurts that she doesn't get to be there, at our wedding. That she won't get to walk me down the aisle." Steve felt himself get a little choked up, felt the tears welling in his eyes, but he swallowed around the lump in his throat and barrelled on. He lifted his eyes to look at Bucky only to find him looking back, empathy shining in his eyes. A wave of emotion crashed over Steve and he reached out for Bucky's hand on instinct. "The flowers, though," he said, giving Bucky a watery smile. He wiped at the corners of his eyes with his free hand. "It's like she'll be there in a way. Like she's there in spirit. And I... you have no idea how much that means to me, Bucky." He squeezed Bucky's hand, and Bucky squeezed right back, rubbing his thumb comfortingly across the back of Steve's hand.

"Oh, Steve," Bucky breathed. He shifted so he was facing Steve more and his right hand came up to brush away the tears that managed to slip out and roll down Steve's cheeks.

Steve took in another wobbly breath and let his eyes flutter shut as Bucky wiped his tears. It reminded him so much of his mom and how she used to do the very same thing when Steve was much younger.

"I know it's been a long time since... y'know, since she died, but I just... I miss her so much, Buck," he said, and it was like the floodgates opened then. He squeezed his eyes shut, jaw clenching harshly as he tried and failed to hold back the tears.

Suddenly Bucky's arms were wrapping around him, pulling Steve's body into his own.

Steve sagged into the touch, burying his face into Bucky's neck. He clung onto him, desperate for the contact, and he felt Bucky tighten his hold, holding him ever closer.

It felt good to be held by Bucky, by someone who cared so deeply for him, and for some reason that made the tears come harder.

"You're okay," Bucky soothed, rubbing his hand over Steve's back. "You're okay."

They stayed like that for a while, Steve sniffling into Bucky's neck and Bucky holding him through it and whispering soft encouragements. Finally the tears seemed to run out, and Steve lifted his head.

Bucky's hand didn't stop tracing circles into Steve's back, but he pulled back enough that he could see Steve's face. "Feel better?" He asked, giving Steve a soft smile.

Steve nodded and sniffed, extracting an arm from around Bucky so he could wipe at his eyes and nose. "Sorry," he murmured, a little embarrassed about his break down.

"Hey, no," Bucky said, pushing Steve's hand away from his face so he could cup his cheek and get Steve to look him in the eyes. "Don't apologize," Bucky said firmly. "You have nothing to apologize for." He searched Steve's eyes for a moment as if making sure he understood Bucky's words. "Sarah would be so proud of you, Steve. I hope you know that."

"She'd be proud of you, too," Steve responded, smiling back at Bucky.

"Now, come on," Bucky said, dropping his hand from Steve's cheek down to his wrist so he could pull him close again. "You're sleeping here tonight." He pushed at Steve's shoulder so he was facing away from Bucky, then Bucky let go of his wrist and rolled away long enough for him to shut the lights off again. When he returned to Steve's side he slid his arm around Steve's waist, palm flattening against the center of Steve's abdomen.

Steve let himself be manhandled back into Bucky's arms, and a fresh bout of emotions flooded over him as Bucky plastered himself up against Steve's back. His embrace was warm and all encompassing, and Steve felt safe and loved in it.

"G'night, Stevie," Bucky murmured into the back of Steve's neck. Steve felt Bucky's lips brush against the skin, feather light, and it sent a warmth through his body, the skin tingling in the wake of it.

"Goodnight, Bucky," Steve responded, and he believed it. It was a good night. A really good night.

As he finally felt himself drift off, he couldn’t help but think that this was where he belonged. Wrapped in Bucky’s arms, feeling cared for and loved. Yeah, this was _exactly_ where he belonged. And he couldn’t have picked a better person to fall in love with.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday! Here's Chapter 7 for you all!! Annnnd good news, because I added a chapter that means that I'll be updating today, tomorrow, and Friday all in a row! So you really won't have to wait long for the end!! 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this one! <3

“So,” Peggy said as Steve returned to the table, two cups and saucers of piping hot tea balancing in his hands. She was sitting up straight in her seat, hands folded on top of the table in front of her as she waited for Steve to join her. 

"So," Steve repeated, prompting Peggy to continue with her thought. He set the saucers onto the table and slid Peggy's over to her. 

"So," Peggy said again, and Steve nearly huffed. She plucked a few cubes of sugar from the small bowl in the middle of the table and dropped them into her cup, picking up the small spoon. The silver plinked against the side of the teacup as she stirred. "You called me in quite a panic this morning," she said, tapping the spoon twice against the edge of the cup before setting it down. "Care to enlighten me as to what that was all about?"

Steve knew he was the one that called her and demanded they meet up to talk, but he wasn't sure how to say this. He hadn't said it out loud yet, and doing that would make it  _ real _ . Well, more real than finally admitting it to himself was. Steve put off his answer by taking a sip of his own tea. Tea wasn't really his thing, but Peggy knew her stuff. This one was actually pretty good. Could use some sugar, though. 

"Steve," Peggy warned as he reached for the sugar, lips still shut tight. "You must have something to say. Surely  _ tea _ wasn't what was so important." 

Sighing in defeat, Steve let his sugar cubes tumble form his palm into the liquid then wrapped both hands around the cup. He lifted his eyes to meet Peggy's. “Peggy, I think I love him.”

One of Peggy's eyebrows arched. 

"No— I don't  _ think _ I love him. I  _ know _ I do," Steve corrected. It was... weird, putting it out there, admitting it to someone else, but it also felt good to say. It was true, and there was no denying it. Steve loved Bucky. "I love Bucky." 

Peggy's face softened. “Of course you do, Steve,” she responded. She made it sound obvious, but she wasn’t patronizing about it. Instead she was soft, comforting; the exact kind of gentle encouragement Steve needed right now. "It took you long enough to realize it," she added, a cheeky quirk to her lips. 

Steve frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

Peggy laughed. "Let's just say you and subtlety aren't the closest of friends." 

Steve's pout deepened, the skin between his eyebrows wrinkling. "Subtlety?" He questioned. "But, Pegs, there was nothing to be subtle about. I just figured this out last night." 

"Oh, Steve," Peggy sighed, reaching out to pat his forearm. "It may have only just dawned on you last night, but those feelings aren't new. They've been there this whole time."

"Ten years ago they were, sure," Steve tried to argue. "But I got over them. I got over  _ him _ ."

Peggy chuckled softly and shook her head. "Darling," she said softly. "I know you like to think you put those feelings behind you, but you didn't. Those kinds of feelings don't just go away." 

Steve bit down on his lip and cast his eyes towards his tea. Theoretically, he knew Peggy was right. The fact that it was so easy for his feelings to reappear again only meant that they never truly went away. Not like he told himself they had. A particular thought suddenly dawned on him. "Does that... does that mean you thought I loved him while we were together?" 

"I know you did," Peggy replied. And, god, was that how she felt? That his love for her was really just his love for Bucky redirected? It was as if she knew what Steve was going to say next, because she held up a finger to silence him before he could say anything. "I know you loved me, too," she reassured. "I had no doubts about that, I promise you. But I knew how much Bucky meant to you. I would have been a fool to ignore that. You have a big heart, Steve, there was plenty of room for the both of us in there." She gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

It eased his conscious to hear those words, and Steve sent Peggy a grateful smile. It quickly melted into a worried expression when the corners of Peggy's red lips curved into a dangerous grin.

"What?" Steve asked, narrowing his eyes at her. 

"When are you going to tell him?" Peggy asked.

" _ What _ ?" Steve repeated, blinking in surprise.

"Well, you've got to let him know at some point, yes?" Peggy questioned, thought it wasn't really a question. "You've felt this way about him for a long time, Steve. It's only fair to both of you that he knows." Her features turned stern. "Plus you're getting married. You can’t very well start off a marriage with a secret." 

That was another thing. Steve leaned back in his chair, finger tapping nervously against the edge of the table. "But Peggy," he started, face twisting up. "What if... what if he doesn't..." He sighed, frustrated. "I don't think he feels the same way," he settled on, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. "He said it himself, this wedding is just him following through on his end of the promise. So what if... what if I tell him and he doesn't want to go through with it anymore? What if he doesn't want to m..." Steve cut himself off, unable to finish his sentence. That was something he didn't want to think about. Especially because that train of thought led to other things Bucky might not want anymore. It made his chest ache in a way it never had before.

"I don't think it's quite that simple," Peggy responded thoughtfully.

Steve's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Peggy started, leaning forward, "if this wasn't something he wanted as well, why would he do it? Bucky's a smart man; he's capable of making decisions, and knowing when the ones he does make are good. I don't believe he would do this if it wasn't something he wanted to do."

Steve pursed his lips as he mulled that over. Again, Peggy had a point. Bucky had always been particularly good at making it known when he didn't want to do something— Steve would know. Bucky had shut his truly terrible ideas down too many a time over the course of their friendship. He was a very autonomous man. 

"And," Peggy continued, pulling Steve out of his thoughts. "If you do tell him about your feelings and he does change his mind, then he changes his mind. I know how much this means to you, Steve, but in the end, you can't force him into it either."

"I would never," Steve interrupted, shaking his head firmly. If Bucky didn't want to marry him anymore after finding out about his feelings, Steve would respect his decision. He wasn't that kind of person. It would sting, but he would be able to get over it. Of course, there was something else he  _ wouldn't _ be able to get over, and he couldn't stop his brain from tugging on that other string of worry. "What if..." he bites down on his lip and drops his eyes, toying with his fingers again. "What if he... if we can't be friends anymore?" 

"Oh," Peggy breathed, and her hand was reaching out for Steve's again. "Darling, even if Bucky doesn't feel the same, that's not going to ruin your friendship," she said, and the conviction in her tone was enough to get Steve to look up again. "Over twenty years of friendship wouldn't be thrown away over that. Not by Bucky. He would never do that," she assured. "He cares about you far too much, Steve." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Plus, I really don't think that’s something you need to worry about.” She didn’t elaborate, but it was obvious she knew something— or at least had a very strong intuition about it.

Knowing that Peggy would just give him some elusive explanation, Steve decided not to press. Instead he took a sip of his tea and mulled over her words. Peggy, as usual, was right. Bucky had never made Steve feel bad about his feelings, for anything, and Steve had no doubt that he wouldn’t start now. Over twenty years of friendship wouldn’t go down the drain just because Steve caught some feelings and Bucky didn’t. Hearing that from someone else— from  _ Peggy _ — did help. He felt a little bit better about it all; a little more at ease with the thought of telling Bucky.

He knew this was something he couldn't put off much longer; with the wedding getting closer and closer everyday, time was running out, and Bucky needed to know before they got married. Steve tipped the teacup all the way back, draining the last dregs of tea and determinedly set the cup back onto the saucer. "I'm gonna tell him today," he declared, giving a firm nod. 

"Yeah?" Peggy asked, lifting a brow. "That's good, Steve. Really good." 

"Yeah," Steve confirmed. "I'm gonna tell him as soon as I get home." 

  
  


Steve did not, in fact, tell Bucky when he got home. Nor did he tell him the following day. Or the day after that. Or the day after  _ that _ . He did not, in fact, tell Bucky that week at all. 

With only one week left until the wedding, he knew he was cutting it close, he knew he was skating on real thin ice with this. But every time he worked himself up enough to tell Bucky, he just couldn't do it. He couldn't find it in himself to end this, because something deep in his gut told him that's what would happen.

So that's why he decided that he would tell Bucky on the night of their bachelor party. 

It wasn't going to be anything like what came to mind when the words bachelor party were mentioned. No strip clubs or trips to Vegas or wild parties like in the movies. Steve and Bucky had both agreed that they wanted to be together, and that they'd much prefer a simple outing to the bar with their friends.

Tony, of course, had put up an argument. He'd raved on and on about how that wasn't even close to what a bachelor party was supposed to be like and listed reason after ridiculous reason as to why they were  _ supposed _ to be wild and fun like the movies. He'd said that the point of a bachelor party was to do something you didn't do everyday. But, when Steve threatened to rescind his best man status if he didn't just let them do their thing, Tony shut right up. He even started hyping up the bar idea in the following few days. 

To Steve, that kind of evening was  _ perfect _ for finally telling Bucky. He had it all planned out. They would spend the evening with their friends having a good time at the bar, talking, laughing,  _ drinking _ . And Steve would drink enough to give him plenty of liquid courage to last until he and Bucky went home for the evening, where he would then tell him. It was a perfect plan. 

"Steve!" Sam called, stumbling off of the dance floor and over to the bar where Steve was just accepting his third drink of the evening from the bartender. "C'mon, man, it's your party and you've been at the bar the whole time!" 

Steve's brows furrowed at that, a pout pulling at his lips. That wasn't true. They'd spent the whole first hour here crammed around a booth, drinking their first and seconds rounds, taking a few celebratory shots, and munching on the complimentary bowl of bar pretzels. So, no, he hadn't been at the bar all night, thanks very much Sam. That wasn't very fair of him.

His pout deepened and he lifted his fresh drink to his lips, taking a very long sip for Sam to see. "I was just getting another drink, Sam," he told him, tipping the glass Sam's way.

Sam rolled his eyes and curled his fingers around Steve's bicep. "You can drink it later," he said, snatching the drink right out of Steve's hand. If he were a little more sober Steve would've been able to put up a fight. "Everyone's on the dance floor but you." 

He didn't give Steve a chance to protest as he set the drink back onto the bar counter and dragged Steve towards the dance floor. 

"Look who it is!" Bucky cheered when his eyes landed on Steve. His whole face lit up, his smile brightening and the corners of his eyes going all crinkly from the force of it. Bucky abandoned Natasha, whom he'd been casually dancing with, in order to sashay his way over to Steve. He looped his arms around Steve's neck, stumbling into his chest a little. "Hi Stevie," he murmured.

"Hey, Buck," Steve replied, his own hands finding their way around Bucky's waist. 

"Nice of you to finally join us here," Bucky grinned. "We missed you.  _ I _ missed you. Had to spend the last couple songs dancing with 'Tasha," he said, shaking his head in faux annoyance. "M'not marrying 'Tasha, though. I should be dancing with  _ you _ ."

Steve had absolutely no control over the way his heart somersaulted in his chest a few times, or, unfortunately, the way his cheeks grew warm. He was just glad he could at least attempt to blame the latter effect on the dance floor or the alcohol if need be. "M'here now," he responded.

"Good," Bucky said. The song changed then, to something fast paced and upbeat, and Bucky's arms dropped from around Steve's neck to grab his hands and twirl Steve to the music.

Dancing was never something Steve was all that fond of, particularly because he wasn't any good at it. But with Bucky, all preoccupation with his skills— or lack thereof— went out the window, and Steve easily lost himself in the music and in Bucky. Song after song they moved to the beat, swaying in perfect synch with each other.

Whatever top 40's song that was playing melted into something with a grungier beat, a more sultry bass, and Bucky lit up.

Bucky tossed his head back, baring the column of his throat, sparkling with sweat that Steve had the striking urge to lick. A throaty laugh bubbled up from Bucky's bitten lips and his eyes found Steve's as he lifted his head again.

"I love this song," Bucky called, throwing his arms back around Steve's neck, mirroring the position they had started off in. This time, however, Bucky was much closer— close enough that Steve could smell the product in his hair and the heady scent of his sweat. 

Steve found himself pressing closer to Bucky, the slinky sway of Bucky's body making it that much easier to do. His hands inched lower and lower down Bucky's back until they settled against the dip of it, just above the curve of his ass. 

Bucky's hips were moving along to the beat, slow and sultry, circling deliciously, and Steve let himself get lost in the feel of it. So lost, in fact, that his body shifted on its own accord, and he didn't even realize that his leg had slotted itself between Bucky's thighs until he felt Bucky grind up against it.

It sent a jolt through Steve's body that went straight down to his dick. 

Sure, they've danced together before. They've danced  _ close _ before. But nothing like this. And certainly not while Steve was well aware of what kinds of affects this would have on him. Steve didn't let it phase him though. He was drunk, Bucky was drunk— it was harmless, really. 

Steve felt the bass in his bones, felt it drumming through his veins. He let the music flood his body, let it control his hips, let it guide them back against Bucky's, matching his pace. There was sweat starting to gather against the back of his neck, his hair wilting into his eyes, but he didn't care. It felt too good to care. In this moment, the thought of telling Bucky about his feelings was the furthest thing from his mind.

Bucky's body was solid and firm against his, and  _ god _ , did he know how to work his hips. He was good, and Steve was disappointed that this was only the first time they were doing this. A little voice in the back of his mind whispered that it hoped this wouldn't be the last.

Steve was hard in his jeans. It was inevitable, really; there was no way anyone that had Bucky grinding up against them could  _ not _ get turned on by it. But as the song came to an end, reality came back to Steve. As much fun as it had been dancing like that with Bucky, he was sure he only had a few seconds before Bucky, too, registered the tightness in his pants and grew uncomfortable.

Bucky's grip around his neck slackened, and Steve took that as the perfect opportunity to extract himself from Bucky's arms. But before he could, Bucky was leaning in closer. "M'gonna hit the bathroom," Bucky said almost directly into Steve's ear. It was so he could hear him over the music, Steve knew, but he couldn't help the shiver that went up his spine as Bucky's lips brushed the shell of his ear. 

"Oh," Steve said dumbly. "Yeah, okay, you do that." He winced at his ridiculous reply, but he was secretly a bit relieved that he had a break to collect himself and will away his boner. "I'll be at the bar," he replied, jerking his chin towards the bar where he spotted Natasha sitting and sipping on a drink. 

Bucky just flashed him a thumbs up before he disappeared into the crowd. 

Steve let out a long puff of air, body sagging in relief, and he pushed his fingers through his hair before he made his way off the dance floor and towards Natasha at the bar.

He pushed his way through the bodies still on the dance floor and finally sidled up to Natasha on her stool. He leaned both of his elbows onto the sticky surface and dropped his face into his palms.

Beside him, Natasha chuckled lowly. "Looks like you've been having a good time," she commented slyly, hiding her smirk behind a sip of her drink. She cast a sideways glance at Steve and quirked a single eyebrow. "You and Barnes were pretty close out there."

Steve groaned into his hands. "I guess," he mumbled, aiming for casual, though he was sure he missed that mark by miles if Natasha's expression was anything to go by. He tried to push off whatever reply she would inevitably have by flagging down the bartender and ordering a drink of his own. He wasn't nearly as drunk as he should be for this conversation.

"You two looked very..." She paused, tracing a finger around the rim of her glass as she searched for the right word. "Comfortable," she finally decided, the corners of her lips quirking up coyly.

Steve knew that look. She was digging. Natasha knew something, but she was digging for more. And the fact that she knew there was more to dig for was enough for Steve to abandon the idea of even trying to hide it from her. She always found out in the end.

"I'd call it a little more than comfortable," Peggy chimed in from the other side of Natasha.

Steve nearly jumped out of his skin at that. "Shit, Pegs, you scared me," he breathed, a hand over his racing heart. "I didn't see you there."

Peggy laughed airily and took a pull from her beer. "Those were some pretty intimate dance moves," she pointed out, eyes sparkling with something mischievous. Whatever was going to come next wasn't going to be good. "Does that mean you followed my advice and told him?"

Beside her, Natasha perked up. She fixed a curious gaze on Steve and leaned an elbow onto the bar, resting her chin against the back of her hand. She was the picture of casual, but Steve knew not to get lulled into a false sense of security by that. She meant business.

"Tell him?" Natasha repeated. "You're talking about Barnes, right? What's so important you need to tell him?"

Peggy had the decency to look apologetic. Natasha usually knew most things before anyone else, so it was clear Peggy hadn't expected her to, for once, not be ahead of the game.  "Sorry," she mouthed to Steve.

It wasn't that big of a deal, though. Natasha would have found out anyways, whether through her own ways or after Steve actually  _ did _ tell Bucky. Might as well let her in on it now. Steve could always use the extra advice, and Natasha was notoriously good at advice. 

"Uh, yeah, Bucky," Steve confirmed with a short nod. "I'm trying to tell him that I’m in love with him." Every time he said those words out loud, it got easier. It also made his heart flutter ten times harder against his ribcage as he imagined all the possibilities that came with the statement.

"Oh," Natasha said simply, lifting her chin from her hand so she could inspect her manicure. "Sorry, I thought you had news."

Peggy laughed into her drink.

Steve gaped open mouthed at her. "Are you telling me you knew too?" He asked, incredulous. Had  _ everyone _ figured it out before he did? Had he really been that obvious? And... if he  _ had _ , was there a chance that Bucky knew too?

"Don't worry, James is just as oblivious as you," Natasha replied, practically reading his mind.

"Natasha and I are well equipped in the art of reading people," Peggy added. "And you, my dear, are a very open book."

Natasha shrugged and nodded in agreement. "You are."

Steve sagged against the bar again. "Well, I didn't tell him," he finally answered.

Peggy narrowed her eyes at Steve. "Steve," she said, her tone disappointed.

"I know, I know," he sighed, sitting back up again. "I tried, though, I did. It just never felt right, y'know? So I kept putting it off. And putting it off. And putting it off." He dragged out the syllables of the last 'and' for emphasis.

"You can't keep doing that," Peggy warned.

"She's right," Natasha agreed.

"I wasn't going to," Steve said. "I was actually planning on telling him tonight."

Peggy and Natasha fixed him with twin unconvinced looks.

"I was! I  _ am _ !" Steve shrugged. "I thought the alcohol would help," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm just waiting until we're alone to do it."

"That's not good enough, Steve," Natasha said, shaking her head. "How do we know you'll actually follow through?"

As much as Steve hated to admit it, Natasha had a point. He kept his mouth closed and stared pointedly down at his drink.

Natasha chuckled. Then she turned to face Steve full on and made sure to look him right in the eyes. "I think you should tell him right now."

"Now?" Steve repeated, voice squeaking up at the end. "But—"

Natasha held up a finger, effectively cutting him off. "Listen. You're here. He's here. Find a quiet booth, sit him down, and tell him. If it goes well, it goes well. If it doesn't..." she spared a glance at their surroundings, "you're in a bar." Natasha tilted her head and flicked her eyebrows up.

"And you won't be alone," Peggy added, gesturing to herself and Natasha. "We're here, and the rest of your friends are too."

The idea of having his friends to fall back on if things did go south was reassuring. As was knowing that the alcohol would be readily available. Steve found himself sitting up straighter, confidence puffing him up, and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, okay. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell him."

"Now you've just got to find him," Peggy said. "Where'd he run off to anyways?" She shifted on her stool so she could look out at the dance floor.

Steve's eyes flickered over to the dance floor as well, and he scanned the crowd for that familiar head of hair. It didn't take long for him to pick Bucky out of the crowd. He was pushing his way through the people, his path leading right to Steve, and Steve lit up as Bucky's eyes met his.

His smile melted and a sinking feeling hit him deep in his chest, however, as Bucky finally broke free and Steve's eyes fell on his hand, which was clasped around someone else's. All that confidence he had a second ago now seeped out of him like he was a popped balloon, sapping him of that light, buoyant feeling until he was completely deflated.

"Steve!" Bucky called, throwing an arm up in a wave. He tugged his new partner, a young brunette woman in a tiny dress and too tall heels, along until finally they were at the bar, close enough that Steve could see the dopey look in the woman's eyes as she gazed up at Bucky. She was hanging off of Bucky's arm, the hand not in his touching his shoulder, his bicep, his chest. Bile rose in Steve's throat at the sight.

"Hey," Bucky said, the two of them coming to a stop in front of Steve and Natasha and Peggy. "I hate to bow out this early," he started, lips pulling back in a grimace. He didn't look too upset to Steve, though. "But, uh, I'm heading out for the night," Bucky finished.

Steve's eyes flickered to the woman for the shortest of seconds, but it was enough to strike a chord in him, and he felt the warm jealousy bleeding into his veins, lighting his body up. It was ridiculous, really. He knew he had no right to feel this way. It wasn't like he and Bucky were  _ actually _ together. Their engagement wasn't  _ real _ — they weren't actual fiancé's  _ in love _ . Well, Bucky wasn't at least. And it's not like Bucky knew about the conversation Steve wanted to have with him tonight. That much was clear. Any hopes Steve had that maybe, possibly Bucky returned his feelings... well, those were stamped out now.

It was hard not to feel hurt by it all, though.

"I'm gonna take her home," Bucky said, jerking his head towards the woman hanging off his arm.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Steve replied. "You can go home with whoever you like. I really don't mind." He sounded bitter even to his own ears, and he winced. He couldn't help that it was a bold faced lie, though. Of course he minded. He should've just nodded again.

He missed the flash of confusion that flickered across Bucky's face, though, as he was already turned back towards the bar trying to flag down the bartender to order another shot. Or twelve.  _ Thank god for alcohol _ , he thought.

Bucky didn't say anything else— or if he did, Steve didn't hear it, too busy drowning himself in vodka.

A hand on Steve's shoulder startled him. At first, he thought it might have been Bucky, trying to get his attention, but when he set his shot glass down and looked, Bucky was gone, and it was only Natasha. Her eyes were sympathetic, brows pulled together and mouth pressed in a thin line.

"It might not be what it looked—"

"Natasha," Steve interrupted, voice firm. He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. "I appreciate the effort, but just," he sighed, "let it be."

Surprise flashed through Natasha's eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared, replaced by a firm understanding. She nodded and removed her hand from Steve's shoulder, settling it back on the bar.

Steve went back to his drink, fingers circling the glass and drawing aimlessly in the condensation.

"I could've sworn James felt the same," he heard Natasha whisper to Peggy.

"You and me both," Peggy whispered back.

Steve downed the next shot.

 

It was clear Natasha and Peggy wanted to do more than just let Steve wallow and mope, but that was all Steve wanted to do now. They were kind enough to inform the rest of their group that the party was probably coming to an end soon, and they fielded any questions about the lack of Bucky and Steve's current state with poise and grace. 

Several drinks later, and Steve was sufficiently drunk. Much drunker than he had planned to be tonight, but, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And drink his heart out was exactly what he had to do.

"Bartender!" Steve called, lifting a hand in the air. "Bartender, another one!"

"Okay, that's enough for you," someone said. He felt a hand curl around his bicep, dragging his arm back down to his side. When he looked over to see who was cutting him off, his blurry vision made out short red hair and a stern face.

"But I'm thirsty," Steve argued, frowning at Natasha.

"Drink this then," a distinctly British voice chimed in, and a cold glass was pushed into his hand.

Without question, Steve raised it to his lips and took a long sip. Water. Not alcohol, but he  _ was _ thirsty. He downed the entire glass in three more gulps.

"Good," Peggy said, taking the glass back.

"I think it's probably time we get you home, huh?" Natasha asked, sliding an arm around Steve's middle to help him off of the stool he'd set up camp on. "Get you some more water, get you into some fresh clothes then into your nice warm bed," she continued. "How's that sound?"

"Mm, sounds nice," Steve murmured, nodding. His hand shot up to grip at his head and he squeezed his eyes shut, vision spinning.

Natasha and Peggy managed to help him all the way to the door without a problem, but as soon as he stepped outside Steve doubled over in the bushes and emptied his stomach.

That combined with the brisk night air had Steve feeling significantly better already.

Peggy and Natasha flagged down a cab for him, and while Peggy helped Steve into the backseat, Natasha paid the cabbie ahead of time. They made sure that Steve's window was rolled down so he had access to cold, fresh air that could help him sober up more.

And it did. But so did the thought of coming home to the sounds of Bucky fucking that girl all night, or the thought of seeing her in the kitchen tomorrow morning. It made Steve's stomach queasy for an entirely new reason, and his heart clenched in his chest.

When the cab finally pulled up in front of his apartment, Steve took his time getting out and walking up to the door, trying to prolong the inevitable. It took him a few tries before he managed to fit the key into the lock and turn it, and when he pushed the door open and stepped inside on wobbly feet, he was met with complete silence. He couldn't hear giggles, or talking, or even moans. Odd.

The door slammed behind him and Steve walked further into the apartment, curiosity getting the better of him. He strained his ears, the masochist inside him wanting to hear something from Bucky's room to ignite that jealous fire again.

But as he entered the living room, the sight of Bucky slumped against the couch, head tilted back, mouth open as he snored away surprised Steve. The keys in his hand slipped right out and fell to the hardwood floor with a loud clatter.

Bucky jerked up at the noise, eyes blinking rapidly. His head whipped towards the sound. "Steve?" He asked, features twisting up in confusion. He glanced at the clock on the wall, then back at Steve. "You're home early."

"Uh, yeah," Steve answered dumbly. "Wasn't feeling it anymore." He could feel his own confusion taking over his face as he glanced around the rest of the room only to find it empty. "I thought you were with that girl..." he trailed off, brows furrowing.

"Huh?" Bucky asked, perplexed. But then realization dawned on him and his features smoothed out again. "Oh, Kate," he said. "I took her home."

Steve blinked. "You... took her home...?" He repeated slowly. It was evident that his brain wasn't making the proper connections here.

"Yeah," Bucky confirmed. "She was really wasted and there were a couple of guys at that bar giving her the eyes. I didn't want to just leave her there with them, so I offered to help her get home."

Then it clicked in Steve's head. "Oh," he said. " _ Oh _ ." A wave of guilt washed over Steve, and he suddenly felt terrible for acting so cold to Bucky about it back at the bar. And for thinking that Bucky would do that to him. There was also the great feeling of relief, and Steve felt himself sag against the side of the couch.

The rustle of the couch as Bucky stood up dragged Steve's attention back to him, and he watched as Bucky made his way around to Steve's side. "C'mon," he said, curling an arm around Steve's waist, shifting all of Steve's weight off of the couch and onto himself. "You look like you're gonna fall over any second, let's get you to bed."

Steve didn't have it in himself to protest, so he let Bucky lead him to his bedroom. Once inside, Bucky pushed Steve onto his bed, making sure he was sitting upright before he knelt down in front of him and got to work on removing his shoes and socks. The sight of Bucky on his knees in front of Steve had his head spinning.

Ideally, he knew that now was as good as any to have the conversation he'd planned on having tonight. But as Bucky carefully helped him out of his clothes, Steve was too distracted to bring it up.

"Lift your arms for me," Bucky requested, tugging on the hem of Steve's shirt.

Steve did as he was told, and Bucky pulled the fabric up his chest and over his head. It got caught in Steve's arms a little, and Steve giggled at that.

Bucky laughed softly at his childishness, and once the shirt was removed he tossed it aside, then moved to Steve's drawer to pull out a fresh one. Getting this shirt on was easier than taking the old one off, and Steve grinned when he realized it was one of Bucky's shirts. Must've gotten mixed up in the laundry.

Bucky moved on to Steve's jeans next, helping Steve undo the flies and shimmy out of them.

It was all harmless, Bucky taking off his clothes like this. He was just helping a drunk Steve get ready for bed— he'd said so himself. That didn't mean Steve couldn't imagine it was for other reasons, though. Bucky was being so gentle, so tender with him. It was hard for his mind not to wander to those circumstances.

Once Steve was down to his boxers and the fresh t-shirt Bucky helped him into, Bucky gave his arm a little prod. "Alright, big guy," he said. "Budge up so I can get your sheets."

Taking the cue, Steve shifted so Bucky could pull back the covers for him to crawl under.

As Steve settled himself against his pillow, Bucky tucked the edge of his sheets around him on one side. His bed was warm and cozy, the sheets soft against his skin. He felt his eyes growing heavier, his blinking becoming sluggish as sleep threatened to consume him.

The sleepiness was temporarily suspended when Steve felt the mattress dip beside him, and Bucky's body fit itself against Steve's. This wasn't new, the bed sharing. Ever since that first night, when Bucky comforted Steve about his mom, it had grown into a habit, the two of them curling up together for the night. It felt right. Natural. Sleeping alone just wasn't the same anymore.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that Bucky  _ hadn't _ been planning on doing anything with that girl, but Steve felt extra affectionate tonight. He rolled over in Bucky's arms so he was facing him and cuddled up to him, using his chest as a pillow.

"You're so good to me," Steve murmured into Bucky's collarbone, burying his nose into Bucky's neck. "I can't wait to marry you."

He felt the rumble of Bucky's chest as he chuckled softly, and one of his hands curled around his neck and brushed some hair from Steve's face. "I can't wait to marry you either."

The last thing Steve made out before the tendrils of sleep finally pulled him under, was the feather light brush of Bucky's lips against his forehead. Then a soft, barely there whisper. "Been waiting a long time for it."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I proudly present the penultimate chapter!!! Chapter 8 is hereeee!! 
> 
> Which, of course, means that the final chapter will be posted tomorrow!! As will all the wonderful art that's been created for this fic!! I absolutely cannot wait for everyone to see it!! I've gotten some sneak peeks and lemme tell y'all: it's sooo goooooood!!!!! 
> 
>  
> 
> Now, without further ado, please enjoy these idiot boys as the time ticks down! <3

Over the next few days, Steve had plenty on his plate to distract himself from the pressing matter that was telling Bucky how he feels. What with the wedding mere days away now, he and Bucky’s days were jam packed with check-ins with Sharon, last minute details, and making sure everything was on schedule.

It was both a blessing and a curse. 

Steve didn’t think a groom was supposed to be this stressed about telling his fiance how he feels about him. But there he was. 

"Oh, good, the lovely couple is here!" Sharon said as Steve and Bucky finally walked through the doors of the Palm House.

Tonight was their rehearsal ceremony, followed by the rehearsal dinner, which Bucky’s family so graciously offered to host at their home that was only a few blocks away from their venue. It was supposed to be a fun night to learn the choreography of their wedding and mingle with their family and friends before the big day. 

"Sorry we're a little late," Steve apologized, sending her a sheepish smile. “Traffic was terrible.”

Sharon just waved a hand through the air. "Don't worry about it. It's your day, after all, we wait for  _ you.  _ And besides, you're only two minutes late. Nobody even noticed," she added with a chuckle. "Why don't you two go mingle a little bit and we'll give everyone a few more minutes to get settled before we start."

"Aye aye captain," Bucky replied with a grin and a mock salute. Then he looped his arm through Steve's and started to drag him away towards their friends.

They spent the next few minutes making their rounds to greet everyone and thank them for coming. At one point the two of them were pulled into a rousing discussion of wedding plans with Tony and Pepper, comparing the prices and businesses and overall experiences with each. They were spared from that conversation when Natasha and Clint arrived, and Steve couldn't have been happier. He loved Tony, he did, but the man could talk for hours and he was having a very good time going into excruciating detail about the design of their cake and the style, cut, and color of the custom suit he was getting designed just for his big day. There was only so much of that Steve could take.

Sam and Riley joined the four of them shortly after, and Steve and Bucky spent most of their time conversing with that group until the Barnes family showed up.

Becca and Alice both beelined for Steve and Bucky the second they saw them, crushing them into a surprisingly strong group hug. They fawned over Steve's ring and Steve's arms, and Steve's face. He supposed he should have expected that; after all, he hadn't seen Becca and Alice, or their parents since before Bucky shipped out. He'd changed quite a bit since then. Grew a few extra inches, bulked out a bit more, got a few decent haircuts and got rid of the bangs he once had.

George and Winifred were delighted to see Steve, and Bucky too. They hugged each of them and congratulated them on their engagement before Winnie started updating Steve on all the Barnes family news he missed while Bucky was away. 

The sound of a spoon repeatedly clinking against the side of a glass had everyone in the room quieting down, all eyes turning towards the front of the room where Sharon stood.

"Hi," she started, "Hi, may I have everyone's attention please?" She stopped tapping the spoon against her champagne flute and set it down on the nearby table, then waited for the room to go completely silent before she continued.

Steve and Bucky excused themselves from their conversation with Bucky's family and they took their seats at the table closest to Sharon.

"Hi, my name is Sharon Carter and I'll be your host for the evening. It's a pleasure to see you all here, ready to celebrate the lovely union between Steve and Bucky here." She sent Steve and Bucky a private little smile. "Welcome to the rehearsal ceremony! We're going to go ahead and get started soon. But before we do, a little bit about what exactly is going to happen tonight. Tonight we'll be practicing the ceremony, and our main goal here is for everyone to learn the choreography of it all. It should only take about half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes if we need to slow things down a bit. But we're going to run through the ceremony at least twice to make sure everyone gets it all down!"

Sharon went into a little bit more detail about the specifics of the ceremony and what it would entail, and it wasn't long before everyone was finding their places for the first run through of the night.

"We're going to start in the middle, as I've found it's a lot easier to get a grasp on where you need to be if everyone starts in position." Sharon gestured to the man standing next to her. "Your wonderful officiant, Nick here, will skim through some of the ceremony readings, then we'll walk through the recessional, followed by the processional. It's a bit backwards, but trust me, it'll help everyone remember their places a lot better!" Sharon clapped her hands together and glanced around. "Alright, are we ready to start?"

With that she began directing everyone into their places. Nick Fury, the officiant they hired, stood in the center of the arch, a few steps back. On either side of him, the wedding parties assembled. Sharon had Peggy standing directly to the right of Nick, then Sam and Tony beside her. To Nick's right stood Becca, then Alice, Clint, and Natasha.

"Perfect, excellent, you all look fantastic," Sharon commented, stepping back and eyeing everyone's positions. "Ladies just make sure you keep your bouquets in front of you tomorrow, and gentlemen, you're going to keep your hands clasped together in front as well. Just like that, good."

"As for you two," Sharon said, directing her attention to Steve and Bucky. She took a few steps towards them and tugged both of their hands up, pushing them together. "I know it feels a little weird right now, but trust me tomorrow it'll feel a lot more natural. You don't want to stand so far away and you'll want to hold each other's hands up here. Make sure you're always facing each other, but also that your backs are never to the audience."

It was a lot to take in, all the tips and pointers Sharon was rapid fire spitting at all of them, but Steve was able to absorb them all and mentally keep track of everything she said.

"From here on Nick will introduce the two of you and welcome everyone. Then comes everyone's favorite part," Sharon announced, grinning at Steve and Bucky. "The vows!"

Steve felt a thrum go through his body at that. He'd spent the last few days painstakingly working on his vows, making sure every single word was perfect. There was so much he wanted to say to Bucky, so much he wanted to thank him for, so much he wanted to promise to him. It was hard to narrow it down to the most meaningful.

"At this point Nick will go through the declaration of intent with each of you. Like I said earlier, you'll want to be holding hands for this," Sharon repeated, eyes flickering down towards Steve and Bucky's hands, which had fallen back down to their sides.

Steve took Bucky's hands in his own like Sharon directed, and he lifted his gaze to meet Bucky's. Bucky was just in a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, total casual wear with his hair hanging around his face, not done at all, but Steve was suddenly overwhelmed by the sight of him. By standing up here with him, in front of their family and friends. It certainly wasn't everyone, and it certainly wasn't the real deal, but it was hard not to imagine it that way. It was impossible to ignore the striking thought that  _ holy shit, they were doing this. This was really going to happen tomorrow _ .

"Then come the vows. Do you, Bucky Barnes, take Steve Rogers to be your lawfully wedded husband..." Sharon trailed off and waved her hand through the air, a nod to the rest of the conditions listed. Then she paused and gestured towards Bucky waiting for him to fill in his response.

"I do," Bucky said, flicking his eyebrows up at Steve. The corners of his lips slowly pulled up into a grin and he gave Steve's hands a playful squeeze.

"And do you, Steve Rogers, take Bucky Barnes to be your lawfully wedded husband... so on and so forth," she chuckled, then gestured towards Steve for his response as well.

The moment was supposed to be light-hearted, just a little funny practice moment, maybe to help them get any pre-wedding jitters about this very moment out ahead of time. But standing up there, holding Bucky's hands, looking into Bucky's eyes... it hit Steve hard.

It felt so right being up there with Bucky. Like it was exactly where he was supposed to be; like this was exactly what was supposed to be happening. A wave of strong emotions suddenly washed over Steve, and he bit down hard on his lower lip to keep them at bay.

"I do," he finally said, letting his own smile take over his face. God, did those words feel so right falling from his lips.

He just hoped he'd still get the chance to say them.

Because, of course, less than twelve hours before their wedding and Steve had  _ still _ yet to sit Bucky and down and confess his feelings.

Everything after that moment was a blur to Steve. He could hear what Sharon was instructing him and everyone else to do, and he was doing it, too, but nothing was sticking. All he could focus on was the  _ oh fuck we're doing this, oh shit it's happening and he still doesn't know, oh my god _ that was flashing through his head in bright neon lights on a never ending loop.

Honestly, Steve didn't know how he made it through the rest of the night. Not when his head was spinning like that, not when he felt so spacey to everything but the words that sat on the tip of his tongue, yet never left his mouth.

He was vaguely aware of Tony and Sam trying to talk with him later that night at the rehearsal dinner, and he must have been able to hold a conversation through his daze since neither one seemed to notice him acting odd. Even later on, he managed to skate through a conversation with Becca about who knows what. Steve even bullshitted his way through a discussion with Sharon. He was pretty sure she was running through some last minute confirmations for tomorrow, but Steve couldn’t really say specifically what. 

His ability to keep it together while still engaging with their friends and family baffled him. He almost couldn’t believe he was doing  _ that  _ good of a job hiding his internal panic that no one seemed to pick up on it. Of course, there was one person who was able to see through it all. Peggy. Well, maybe Natasha too. But Steve made it a point to avoid her after the third pointed look she shot him from across the table.

Peggy, on the other hand, was harder to avoid, especially when she cornered him after dinner had been served and they all sat down together to eat.

"Steve," Peggy said, and her tone meant business.

"Peggy please," Steve replied, shaking his head.

Peggy's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and she held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, I didn't say anything," she defended. "But it seems like you already know what I would've said."

Steve nodded. "Yes, I know. I'm working on it."

"You're running out of time, Steve," Peggy reminded gently.

Another nod. This time Steve let his head hang down at the end of it. "I know," he sighed.

 

The rest of the night flew by in the blink of an eye, and before Steve knew it, he and Bucky were back in their apartment. Bucky pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping inside and holding it open for Steve, who followed still in his panicked daze.

He relied on muscle memory to get himself to his bedroom door, and as his hand closed around the knob, he felt one of Bucky's close around his shoulder.

"Hey," Bucky said, pulling Steve out of his thoughts and into the present "I'm gonna stay in my room tonight," he informed, jerking his chin towards his own bedroom door. "S'bad luck to see each other before the wedding and all, right?" He chuckled, a small grin curving onto his lips.

Steve's laugh was delayed as his brain worked to comprehend what Bucky meant. And, oh. Right. The sleeping together thing. They weren't doing that tonight. Okay. That was fine. Steve could deal with that. In fact, it might have been a good thing Bucky suggested they go their separate ways for the evening. Steve didn't want Bucky to catch on to his internal panic. Which he knew he would. Bucky knew Steve too well not to pick up on it. It was kind of surprising he hadn't yet. Steve would miss falling asleep wrapped in Bucky's warm embrace, though. He had gotten quite used to that the past couple of weeks.

"Oh, yeah," Steve replied, nodding. "Bad luck," he agreed. "Wouldn't want to start this marriage off with any of that."

Bucky flashed Steve his teeth. "Nope, this is gonna be a strictly good luck only marriage," he laughed. 

Steve smiled back weakly, and they lapsed into a slightly awkward silence. Could it really be a “good luck only” marriage if Steve harbored secret feelings for Bucky and never enlightened him about them? Because at this rate it looked to be the direction things were heading. He knew this was the perfect time for him to just casually mention that they needed to talk. That he had some things he needed to get off of his chest so that this marriage  _ could _ actually start off well. But Steve’s traitorous mouth had other plans.

“We should probably head to bed now,” Steve said, internally smacking himself on the forehead for it. “Early morning and all.” What was wrong with him? Why the hell couldn’t he just tell Bucky? 

“You sleep well, Stevie,” Bucky said softly. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He took a step towards Steve and curled his arms around Steve’s shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. 

Steve melted into it, tucking his chin over Bucky's shoulder as he hugged back. 

"G'night, Buck," Steve said as they broke apart. "You sleep well too."

Then Bucky’s back was to him as he walked the short distance to his room. Steve waited until Bucky’s door closed behind him before he let his head drop back and he scrubbed both of his hands over his face. He stood there for a moment, reveling in his own frustration with himself before he finally stepped into his own bedroom.

Fuck.

The second the door closed behind him, the panic set in. He felt it slowly creeping into his bones as he brushed his teeth. It settled there, heavy, as he changed into his pajamas for the night. It weighed down on him as he slipped beneath his bedsheets and shut off his lamp.

Sleep didn't come easy to him that night. He spent the next few hours staring at the ceiling, mind racing with every possible worst case scenario: Steve never finding a good time to tell Bucky, forcing him to live with the secret of his feelings weighing him down every single day. Steve not getting the chance to tell Bucky before the wedding, but finally finding time after, only to have Bucky freak out and demand a divorce immediately.

Steve telling Bucky seconds before their wedding, and Bucky's response being to call the whole thing off, the two of them standing up in front of all their family and friends to tell them to go home, that they came for nothing because Steve ruined things.

That one was by far the worst because of the high probability of it actually happening.

Sleep finally managed to find Steve close to two-thirty in the morning. He'd tossed and turned the whole night, desperately trying to fall asleep, but the racing of his heart and the shaking of his hands made it damn near impossible. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get his brain to shut off.

 

When morning finally came, Steve woke from his fitful sleep at six-thirty in the morning to find a text from Bucky on his phone.

_ clint just picked me up. 3 hours until we're husbands!! see you at the venue <3 _

Steve's heart flipped in his chest as he read over Bucky's message, and he couldn't help the tiny smile that pasted itself onto his face. They had agreed to really take the whole not seeing each other before the wedding thing to heart, and they'd asked their friends to pick them up separately and at different times to take them to the venue, that way they truly wouldn't run into each other before.

It made Steve happy that they were taking this so seriously. That they were treating it just like a real wedding, despite the true nature of things. Steve was happy that Bucky seemed genuinely excited by it, as well. But that did nothing to settle the knots in his stomach. In fact, it made them worse. It made Steve feel guilty, like he was somehow taking advantage of Bucky — which was the last thing he ever wanted to do .

The rest of his morning after that was a blur. He vaguely remembered eating something for breakfast; Sharon had stressed the importance of a proper meal before the wedding as Steve and Bucky would be on their feet for quite some time, and they wouldn't be able to eat anything until later at the reception. After breakfast, Steve collected his suit, tie, shoes, and everything else he needed to bring to the venue. Into a bag went his shaving kit, the cufflinks and pocket square Peggy got him for his birthday, his tube of hair gel, and a comb. 

Sam arrived not long after to pick him up and drive him there.

"Morning, groom," Sam greeted to Steve, as he slid into the passenger seat.

"Hey, Sam," Steve replied, closing the door behind him and strapping his seatbelt on.

Sam shifted the car back into drive and left the curb, merging back onto the road.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, glancing over at Steve with a grin. "You ready to become a married man?"

Steve felt his own lips pull up to mirror Sam's, and an electric buzz went through him at the prospects. In less than two hours he would be a husband.  _ Bucky’s  _ husband.  _ Not if you don’t tell him _ , the unhelpful voice in the back of Steve’s head whispered. 

“I’m, uh, I’m good,” Steve replied, sounding a bit breathless. It wasn’t a lie. Steve  _ did _ feel good. He felt excited, happy. But he was worried, too. About finding the time to tell Bucky, because he  _ had to _ before the ceremony; about how Bucky would react. “I think I’m ready, yeah.” The nerves jumped back at the realization that this was it. They were on their way to the venue, to Steve's  _ wedding _ . That would never cease to amaze Steve, honestly.

"You think?" Sam repeated, lifting an eyebrow.

Steve flushed. "Yeah," he said shyly. "I mean. I know I want to do this. I just... I don't know if Bucky will."

A puzzled look flashed across Sam's face. He flicked his blinker on and switched lanes. "What do you mean? Clint said Barnes wouldn't shut up about how excited he was on the way over."

Steve's head snapped up. "Really?" He asked, biting down on his lip. His heart somersaulted in his chest.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Why do you think he won't want to?"

Steve fidgeted in his seat, toying with his hands in front of him. "Well, I, uh, I really want to marry him," he said.

Sam's brows pulled together. "Uh, yeah, I would hope so," he said, clearly not understanding what Steve really meant.

"No, I mean, I want it to be real, Sam," Steve clarified. "As in, I don't want it to just be us following through with our promise. I love him. For real."

"Oh," Sam said, glancing towards Steve again.

Steve was staring down at his lap, but as a silence filled the car, he looked up at Sam. Sam had a thoughtful look on his face, but he didn’t seem all that surprised by Steve’s admittance. Steve wasn’t really sure what to take from that.

"I take it Barnes doesn't know that yet?"

Steve shook his head. "Not yet. I've been trying to tell him but..." Steve trailed off helplessly.

"You're afraid of what he’ll say," Sam finished.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, yeah I am."

"Look, man," Sam started. "It's going to end up okay. Even if Barnes doesn't feel the same, I really don't think you have anything to worry about, Steve. He loves you. Now, whether it's the same kind of love you have for him, I can't say. I'm not Barnes. But I know that he values the relationship you two do have. Your friendship means something to him, Steve, and I don't think he'd let something like unreturned feelings get in between you two."

"I really hope you're right," Steve replied, giving Sam a nervous smile. He felt a little better after hearing that from Sam, but it wasn't quite enough to shake the nerves. After all, there was a lot at stake here. Steve didn’t want to think Bucky would be willing to throw away over twenty years of friendship because of it, but Steve wasn’t going to dismiss that either. As much as he hated to admit it, that was entirely possible. His stomach twisted at the thought. 

The car came to a stop in front of the venue, and Sam shifted the gear into park before killing the engine. He turned in his seat to face Steve, and reached out to clap a hand over his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, no matter what," Sam reassured.

"Thanks, Sam," Steve responded.

Sam pulled him in for a quick hug, and then the two of them exited the car and headed inside.

"Steve!" Sharon chirped as she spotted Steve enter the building. "You're here, perfect! Let me show you to the room they've provided for you to get ready in."

Draping the garment bag in hand over his arm and hoisting the bag holding his shoes and tie higher onto his shoulder, Steve followed Sharon down the hall and into the elevator with Sam close behind. They went up two floors and exited, then Sharon led the two of them to one of the doors at the end of the hall.

"Here you are," Sharon said, pushing the door open and holding it for Steve and Sam, who entered behind her.

The room was a nice cream color with a few plush looking sofas and glass side tables. A full length mirror hung from one of the walls, and a door to the bathroom was a few paces away.

"If you need anything just give me a buzz, okay?" Sharon said. "Peggy said she'd come meet you here before we get started so the three of you can walk over!"

"Sounds good," Steve replied, hanging the garment bag from one of the hooks next to the mirror. He set the bag down as well. "Thank you, Sharon."

"Of course, Steve," Sharon responded. Her face softened and she tilted her head at Steve. "It's been a pleasure working with you so far. Good luck today, and I'll see you out there."

"Woo,” Sam whistled and spun on his heel to get a look at the whole place. “This place is nice!” He then waltzed over to one of the couches and dropped down into it, stretching his feet out in front of him. “Alright, so, you can put on a tux by yourself, right?" Sam asked, sending Steve a grin.

Steve laughed. "Yes, I can," he answered, rolling his eyes at Sam. He was glad that Sam was keeping things light. It was a nice way to break up his nerves a little.

"Good, good," Sam said. He nodded towards the bathroom door. "You go do your thing then. Shave off the chin fuzz, moisturize your skin, whatever other shit grooms do before they get hitched."

Steve rubbed a hand across his jaw, the tiny hairs there prickling against his palm. "Thanks," he replied sarcastically, reaching for his bag before he headed into the bathroom to freshen up.

He was quick about shaving, though careful not to cut himself. Honestly, it was kind of a marvel that he didn’t what with the tremor in his hands. Next came his hair. Steve didn’t have long hair like Bucky, so he didn’t have as many options with it. A simple slightly gelled back side part would do. Neat and classy, but not too stuffy. 

Once the personal care was taken care of, it was time for Steve to get into his suit. On went the crisp ivory button up, starched to perfection so not a single wrinkle was present. Then came the navy dress pants, perfectly tailored to his legs. Finally, the gorgeous navy tuxedo jacket, smooth and silky with a nicely tapered waist. The whole thing was courtesy of  _ Coulson's Suits _ . Tony had connections there and had been kind enough to get Steve and Bucky both fittings there for custom wedding suits. Steve hadn't gotten to see how Bucky's suit turned out, but standing there fully decked out in his own, he was more than happy with the results of it. Now all he was missing was his bowtie. 

Steve flicked the lock on the bathroom door and pushed it open. He stepped out and did a slow spin for Sam, holding out his arms. "What do you think?" He asked, grinning.

Sam's eyes dragged down Steve's body, then back up, and a smirk curled onto his lips. He gave a long, low whistle. "Damn," he said. "You look great, Steve."

Even though Steve had half expected a compliment, he couldn't help the faint blush that bloomed onto his cheeks. "Thanks," he replied, smoothing the lapels of the jacket.

Steve made his way over to the full length mirror and stood in front of it, examining the full extent of the suit. He struck a few poses and turned to see how it looked from different angles.

Damn was right. He  _ did _ look good. Phil Coulson had done a more than fantastic job tailoring the suit to fit every curve and line of his body. It fit like a glove and accentuated all the good parts. If  _ he _ looked that good in it, he could only imagine how good Bucky looked in  _ his _ suit.

A knock on the door had Steve's head whipping towards it, face scrunching in confusion.

"Steve?" Peggy's voice called from the other side of the door. "It's me, Peggy. Is it alright to come in?"

He'd forgotten that Sharon said that Peggy would be stopping by.

"Yeah, you can come in," Steve called back.

The door opened to reveal Peggy, all done up in her own outfit for the day. She'd been in charge of picking out the dresses for herself, Natasha, Becca, and Alice, because Steve and Bucky had little knowledge of what would look best, and as Steve's maid of honor, he trusted her the most to get the job done well.

And she had. The top portion of the dress was a lovely ivory shade, with intricate lacing over it leading into a flowing navy blue skirt. She looked beautiful in the dress, especially with her hair falling in curls to frame her face.

"Oh, you look so dapper," Peggy commented, face brightening as she took in Steve standing there in his tuxedo. "Very handsome, Steve. Very, very handsome."

"Thanks, Pegs," Steve responded. "You look beautiful," he added, gesturing to her own outfit. "You did a great job with the dresses."

Peggy waved him off with a pleased little smile. "Hello Sam," she greeted, walking further into the room. "You look lovely as well."

"Nice to see you, Peggy," Sam responded. "Same goes to you. That dress looks great on you."

"Steve, where'd you put that bowtie I bought you? I'll help you put it on," Peggy said, rifling through the garment bag still hanging on the hook.

"Oh, it's in here, one second," Steve replied, stepping back into the bathroom so he could fetch the  _ Savile Row _ box holding the bowtie and the pocket square and cufflinks Peggy had gotten him for his birthday.

Once he had the box he walked back into the main room and passed it over to Peggy, who immediately unlatched it and fished the silk bowtie out. "Come closer," Peggy instructed, setting the box onto the table next to her.

Steve shuffled closer and Peggy unfolded the neck of the ivory shirt and looped the bowtie around Steve's neck, letting each side hang flat against his chest. She made quick work of expertly crossing and folding the fabric in exactly the way it needed to be, then pulled the bow tight and turned down Steve's collar. Once she finished, she placed each of her hands on Steve's shoulders and marched him towards the mirror to take a look at her handiwork.

The bowtie looked fantastic, and Steve marveled at how Peggy knew how to tie one so well.

She stood behind him so he could still see himself, but reached her hands around his neck so she could smooth down the fabric around the bow and straighten it out.

"There," she declared once she deemed it perfect. "All finished. Now you look truly wonderful. Bucky's not going to know what hit him when he sees you on that altar."

And, Bucky. Fuck. Since the chat with Sam in the car, Steve had done a decent enough job of distracting himself from thinking about Bucky and his feelings, but now, staring into his own eyes in the mirror, it all came rushing back.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the racing of his heart as the panic started to set in again. "Fuck," he mumbled under his breath, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. As soon as he did, he winced, remembering that he'd already done it. Now he would have to fix it. But that wasn't the biggest concern for him at the moment. The fact that Bucky still didn't know was. And the fact that the clock was ticking and he was running out of time to tell him didn't help ease his mind at all.

"Steve?" Peggy asked softly, touching his arm gently. "Are you alright?"

Steve was staring into the mirror, eyes big and chest moving quickly beneath the suit as he took in short, shallow breaths. At his sides, his hands were shaking, the tremors small enough to not be noticeable unless one was looking for them. But they were still there nonetheless.

"This is happening," Steve said, shaking his head at himself. "This is happening and Bucky still doesn't know. I haven't told him. I know I told you I would, but I haven't. And he needs to know, Peggy.  _ He needs to know _ . I can't...I can't marry him unless he knows. I can't do that to him. I...I..."

A gentle touch to his cheek had Steve coming back down to Earth, his panic subsiding only minutely as Peggy guided his face down to look at her.

"Steve," Peggy said, trying to get his full attention. "Hey, it's alright," she soothed. "It's okay. You still have time. The ceremony doesn't start for another ten minutes, you still have time." She paused, searching Steve's eyes to make sure he was still listening. "He's in the last room at the other end of this hall," she said. "Go talk to him."

Steve nodded, but kept his eyes locked with Peggy’s, his feet unmoving. She was comforting, and she knew how to say so much with just her eyes. The nerves were still there, of course — Steve didn’t think there was anything he could do to get rid of those— but the longer Steve held her gaze, the more confident he felt in what he was about to do.  “I will,” he finally said, giving another nod, this one more sure than the first. “Thank you, Peggy.” 

"Of course," Peggy responded softly. She sent him a comforting smile. "You've got this, Steve."

Steve flashed Peggy a grateful look in response and headed towards the door. He didn’t look back as he exited the room and started down the hall. This was it. He was finally doing it, finally telling Bucky how he feels. It would be the moment that could change his life forever — whether for better or for worse was yet to be known. He hoped for better,  _ god _ , did he hope for better. 

As Peggy said, Bucky's room was the very last one at the opposite end of the hall. The entire walk down, Steve tried to figure out how he wanted to do this, what he wanted to say. But by the time he found himself standing in front of Bucky's door, his mind was still blank. He'd made it this far, though, and he didn't want to lose his nerve, so instead of taking a minute to figure that out, he just raised his fist and knocked.

"Natasha, I told you the door's open!" Bucky called from the other side.

Steve took that as an okay for him to enter the room, and he closed his fingers around the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open.

"I said before you left you didn't have to knock when you— Steve?" Bucky's face screwed up in confusion for a moment, before he gasped and whipped his hands up to his eyes, spinning around so his back was to Steve. "Hey! We're not supposed to see each other, what are you doing here?" He shouted.

He was in his tuxedo as well, similar in color to Steve's, but not entirely the same. Steve didn't have time to ogle him, though. He had other pressing matters in mind.

"Bucky," Steve said, voice serious. He wanted to laugh at Bucky's antics, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. Not when his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest from how nervous he was. "Can we talk?"

The good-natured grin on Bucky's face slowly slid off as he turned to face Steve, his hand lowering back to his side. Concern etched itself across his face as he took in Steve's haggard appearance, and the way he was hunched in on himself and twisting his fingers in front of him. "Sure," Bucky agreed slowly. "Is everything okay?"

Steve shook his head. "No," he answered truthfully. "Everything's not okay." He could practically see the way Bucky's mind started racing as he said those words, probably thinking of every worst case scenario as Steve had the night before. "There's something I've been trying to tell you for weeks now, but I just never could, and I know,  _ I know _ , I waited until the last possible second, which I really really shouldn't have because I know it's not ideal at all. But this is important. It's really important, and it's something you need to know before we do this, and I have to tell you. Bucky." 

Steve swallowed nervously, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. Then he paused to take a breath and finally looked up at Bucky, right into his eyes. And as he looked into those eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, Steve felt an odd calm pass over him. The panic, the fear — they were still there. But there was a sudden surge of bravery, too. And the comforting thought that this was Bucky, his very best friend. He could tell him anything. So he did. 

"Bucky, I love you. I'm in love with you."

Bucky's eyes widened a little, his face going slack, but Steve didn't pause to give him a chance to respond. He needed to get this all out.

"I completely understand if you don't want to go through with this anymore," he said, and god, did it hurt to say. He combed his fingers through his hair and started to pace across the room. He knew his hair was completely ruined now from the amount of times he'd done that. It was a nervous habit he couldn't shake. "I get it if you don't, I do. I get it if this changes things and you don't want it anymore. It would be selfish of me to expect you to want it." Steve's brow furrowed as he continued, the words spilling out. "I don't want to cheat you out of a good life if you marry me. You shouldn't have to end up with me if you don't actually love me. If you aren't in love with me. You could..." He pressed his lips together for a moment, covering a hand over his mouth as he briefly collected himself. "You could have anyone, so why should you have to settle for me? Thirty isn't too young to stop trying to find someone. I know we promised each other, but Bucky, you deserve to be with someone you  _ actually  _ want to be with, and I can't make you do this if you don't want to."

Steve barely even paused before he barreled on. "I know I waited until the worst possible last minute to tell you this, and everyone traveled so far to get here, and I know it's terrible to have them all come out here only to send them away after all that trouble and tell them there's no wedding, but—"

"Steve, woah, hey, take a breath," Bucky finally interrupted, stepping up to Steve's side. He reached out to close a hand around Steve's upper arm, putting a stop to the pacing. "Who said anything about cancelling?" He asked.

And that... Steve hadn't been expecting that. "Huh?" He said dumbly.

Bucky chuckled, the corners of his lips quirking up as he shook his head fondly at Steve. "Stevie," he said, letting his hand slide down Steve's arm to take his hand. The hand by Bucky's side came up to find Steve's other hand as well, and suddenly they were mirroring the very same pose they'd been in last night at the rehearsal ceremony. "Stevie, I don't need to find someone else when I have you," he said, voice full of conviction. His eyes were deep pools of truth, and Steve found himself getting lost in the hope they offered.

"You're all I've ever wanted," Bucky said. "I love you, too."

" _ Oh _ ," Steve breathed, and then it hit him, what Bucky was saying.  _ He loved him back _ . Relief and a giddy kind of joy flooded through Steve. His lips pulled into the biggest grin, and a peal of happy laughter bubbled up. "So you... you want to do this?" He asked. "Like, actually want to do this for real?"

Bucky's smile was like sunshine, bright and warm and beautiful. The corners of his eyes were crinkled up in that adorable way they got whenever Bucky was all encompassingly happy. "Yes, you dolt," he replied, laughing. "I've wanted to do this for real ever since we made that promise. Haven't you ever wondered why I suggested it?"

And, oh. That was news. "Wait," Steve said, leaning back and narrowing his eyes curiously at Bucky. "Are you saying that story you told Wanda when we went to taste cakes was true?"

Bucky nodded. "Of course it was true," he confirmed.

"Oh my god," Steve mumbled. Awe shone in his eyes as he stared back into Bucky's. "I can't believe this," he said, incredulous.

"I can't believe this, either," Bucky echoed, shaking his head.

"I— you—  _ fuck _ ," Steve laughed. He let go of Bucky's hands so he could bring his up to either side of Bucky's face and pull him in for a kiss.

They’d kissed before, but this one was nothing like the too quick brush of lips back at the flower shop. This one was different. It felt like the first time all over again. It felt like Steve was finally coming home.

Bucky’s mouth was soft and pliant, lips sweet against Steve’s, and he kissed back with just as much conviction. His own arms looped around Steve’s waist, pulling him close so their bodies pressed together and they became one.

Steve couldn’t stop the smile that started to bleed into the kiss. It made it a little hard to properly kiss Bucky, especially when Bucky’s own lips mirrored Steve’s, and in no time at all they found themselves giggling happily into each other’s smiling mouths.

They were so caught up in each other that they didn’t hear the door open. “Bucky, are you ready to go? It’s almost ti—  _ oh _ .”

At the sound of Natasha’s voice, the two of them broke their kiss to glance towards her. Bucky stayed in Steve’s arms, arms still curled around his waist, but shifted to face her.

Natasha’s lips were pulled into a pleased smirk, her arms crossed over her chest as she took in their state. “I see the heads are finally out of the asses,” she commented. Her smirk turned sweet, and her eyes softened. “I’m happy for you two,” she added in a warm tone.

“We’re pretty happy, too,” Bucky replied, looking back up at Steve, who caught his eyes again and melted into his affectionate gaze.

Steve ducked his head a little so he could capture Bucky’s lips in another quick kiss. “We are,” he agreed. 

“That’s really great news,” Natasha said. “And really great timing, too. The ceremony is about to begin,” she informed. 

Bucky turned towards Steve. “You ready to do this?” he asked, stepping out of Steve’s embrace so he could reach up and fix Steve’s hair, then smooth his palms down the front of Steve’s jacket.

Steve took in a breath, straightened his back, and looked into Bucky’s eyes. He reached out between them to take Bucky’s hand in his, and he nodded. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh here we are!! The last chapter of my Stucky AU Big Bang fic!! 
> 
> I'll try to keep this short since I know I already made a big long thank you at the beginning of this fic. Buuuut, I have to say, again, an absolutely massive thank you to everyone who helped me along and supported me through this fic!! It's been my baby for the past seven months, and I'm so so happy that the whole thing is finally out there for everyone to see! 
> 
> Thank you to my fabulous artists, thank you to my wonderful beta, thank you to everyone from the various discord servers, the slack, twitter, thank you to the mods!  
> Most imporantly, though, thank you to everyone who has read the fic so far and who will read it to come!! Thank you to everyone who left comments and who gave kudos!! You all are truly the best, and your support means the world to me!! <3
> 
>  
> 
> And now, for the truly exciting part: THE ART!!! 
> 
> [Here](https://twitter.com/tallihoozoo/status/1101696741286600704) you can find art for Chapter 9 by [Talli](http://hoozoo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Here](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7873/32305013387_79efbfa56f_z.jpg) and [here](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7825/47247187901_dccd24206b_z.jpg) you can find art for Chapters 5 and 6 respectively by [Indy](https://ribbonsflyingoutthewindow.tumblr.com/) (the actual images will be imbedded into those chapters as well!!)
> 
>  
> 
> I'm so so so happy with all these gorgeous pieces, you don't even know!! They turned out so so beautiful and I feel like the luckiest person ever to have two incredibly talented artists creating something for my fic! You two have been a joy to work with, thank you for everything!! <333
> 
> I hope everyone else enjoys the art as much as I do, and now, without further ado, THE LAST CHAPTER!!! ENJOY!!

Walking down the aisle on Peggy's arm, Steve was absolutely buzzing with excited energy. All of his and Bucky's friends and family were seated in the audience, watching as he strode down the walkway to take his place in the middle of the altar.

"I'm very proud of you, Steve," Peggy whispered as they came to a stop in front of the altar.

"Thanks, Pegs," Steve whispered back, smiling warmly at her.

Peggy leaned in to press a quick kiss to his cheek before she let go of him and took her place on the left side of Nick, exactly as practiced.

Following the two of them came Becca and Tony, arm in arm as they walked down the aisle, then  Natasha and Clint, and finally Alice rounding up the end of the wedding party. 

From Steve's place in the center of the altar, he had the best view in the house of the aisle which Bucky would walk down any second now. He was buzzing with anticipation, excited energy thrumming through his veins, lighting up every nerve in his body.

God, had he waited for this moment for so long. It almost felt too good to be true. But it wasn't. It was happening, it was  _ actually happening _ . He was going to marry Bucky. His best friend, his  _ soulmate _ . It was a cheesy concept, he knew that, but it was true. There was no one else that was as good for him as Bucky was, no one that knew everything about him and loved him the way Bucky did.

He watched as the last of the wedding party made their way down the aisle and took their places up front behind him. And then it was time.

"Please rise," Nick Fury, the officiant, announced. There was a collective rustle as all of their friends and family rose to their feet and turned towards the aisle. Then the opening chords of the instrumental  _ Turning Page _ filled Steves ears, and his heart leapt into his throat as Bucky appeared.

And suddenly he was the only thing Steve could see. It was like the rest of the world just faded away, and everything narrowed down to Bucky. Just  _ Bucky _ .

He looked  _ beautiful _ . Bucky's suit was navy blue like Steve's and was tailored perfectly to the dimensions of his body, tight in all the right places. Unlike Steve, however, the button on his suit jacket was undone, and it hung open to reveal a sleek, navy vest resting atop Bucky's own ivory button up. It was absolutely charming, a little touch that had  _ Bucky _ shining through.

It brought an even brighter smile to Steve's face as he realized that Bucky had actually taken inspiration from some of those “easy, elegant hairstyles for brides-to-be” pins they'd seen on Pinterest. On either side of his face, his hair was plaited into beautiful waterfall braids that settled like a crown at the top of his head. And the closer Bucky got, Steve noticed sprigs of Baby’s Breath woven into the braids.

The whole look was just utterly gorgeous, and Steve was having trouble not openly gaping at Bucky as he walked down the aisle. He found, though, that there was no reason for him to try not to. This was the man that was about to become his husband— he had every right to gape at his beauty.

_ God, how did I get so lucky? _ He thought to himself as his eyes met Bucky's, and Bucky's face broke into the biggest, brightest grin.

Steve was sure his own face mirrored Bucky's, but he didn't even care that he was smiling like an idiot. He felt like the biggest lovesick fool of them all as he locked eyes with the love of his life, and he wouldn't trade that feeling for the world.

Watching Bucky walk down the aisle was like watching Steve's past, present, and future, all at once. This was the man he was meant to be with; the man he had  _ always _ been meant to be with. From the very first day he met him over twenty years ago, Bucky had been everything to Steve. His best friend, his confidant, his shoulder to cry on, his personal cheerleader. He truly was the best thing to ever happen to Steve, and Steve couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with him.

The thought brought happy tears to his eyes, and he had to fight to keep them from falling as he watched his future walk towards him.

It felt like forever until Bucky finally reached the end of the aisle, and when he did, he kissed his mother on the cheek and extracted his arm from hers so he could take him place in front of Steve. 

As soon as he was there, Steve reached out to take his hands.

"Hi," Bucky whispered, a private little smile pulling at his lips.

"Hi," Steve whispered back. "I didn't get to tell you earlier, but you look amazing, Buck. So beautiful."

Bucky ducked his head a little, going all bashful at the compliment. "You do too, Steve," he responded. "I really wanna kiss you right now."

Steve's heart leapt in his chest and he squeezed Bucky's hands, chuckling under his breath. "Soon," he assured.

Behind them, Nick cleared his throat a little, preparing to begin the ceremony. "You may be seated," he told the guests, and everyone shuffled back into their seats.

Steve and Bucky shared an excited look.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another," Nick started. "Together we are a group of the most important people in their lives, and they have brought us here to publicly recognize that we have all played some special part in the love they share today."

Nick continued on to say a little bit more about marriage and what exactly it meant, but Steve wasn't exactly paying much attention. He was too spellbound by Bucky's unwavering gaze.

Finally, the readings came to an end, and Nick turned to Steve and Bucky. "Now for everyone's favorite part," he announced. "Gentlemen, I assume you've prepared your vows for today?"

Steve and Bucky both nodded, and they each reached into their jackets to pull out the paper they had them written on.

"The vows that you are about to make are a way for the two of you to share your love for one another and to express the commitment you are making today to each other in your own words," Nick said. "Let these vows be your way of opening declaring your promise to one another, as well as to everyone in attendance today." He turned to Steve first. "Steve, if you'd like to start us off."

"Yeah, yes. I'd love to," Steve responded, fumbling to unfold his paper. Once he managed to unfold it, he smoother the wrinkles out and held it up. "Bucky," he started, lifting his gaze from the paper back to Bucky. He sent him a small smile and took one of his hands again.

“A lot of people always say that from the first time they met, they just knew. It’s cheesy, and it’s such a cliche, I know. But there’s a reason for that. Because it’s true. From that very first day we met over twenty years ago, I knew you were going to be someone important.”

Bucky’s eyes were shining already as he stared back at Steve, watching and listening intently, like he always did. 

“That day we met, it was in some back alley after I got into a fight,” Steve continued. He tilted his head and sent Bucky a knowing look. “Where else, right?” He joked. Bucky laughed softly, his grin growing. “You were standing over me, holding a hand out to help me up. I almost didn’t take it. You know me and my stubborn pride.” Another grin. A small chuckle. “I didn’t want any help  —I was convinced that I could get by on my own.” Steve paused, searching Bucky’s eyes before he continued. “But there was something different about you. Something that made me think that it was okay to be vulnerable, just this once. To accept your help.” He squeezed Bucky’s hand.

“That day, you taught me that I didn’t have to get by on my own. That it’s okay to ask for help. That I don’t have to be alone. And you’ve continued to teach me these, and to reinforce them throughout our whole relationship.

“You’ve always been my biggest support system, whether it was patching me up after some scrappy spat with someone twice my size, or comforting me after my mom passed, or encouraging me to go after my dream job. It’s always been you in my corner.” Steve had to pause again to take a shaky breath and collect himself as his emotions threatened to take over. His eyes were glazed with tears, and he hand to blink hard to push them back so Bucky didn’t become a handsome blur. 

“And so today, I promise to always be in  _ your _ corner, to work hard to do the very same for you every day. I promise to be there for you through it all: the ups and downs, the good and bad, the joys and the pains, the smiles and the tears. I promise to be your shoulder to cry on, to be the one to make you smile and laugh, to drag you into all my bad ideas no matter how much you try to talk me out of them, and then to let you say  _ I told you so _ when they turn out exactly how you said they would.” A laugh went through the audience, and a wet one bubbled up out of Steve and Bucky both. 

“ You’ve made me a better person than I ever knew I could be, and you continue to make me better, to make me braver, to make me kinder, every single day. I’ve loved you from the very beginning, Buck, I truly have, and knowing you and loving you have been the two greatest things I’ve gotten to do in my life. And I feel like the luckiest man in the world to know that I get to keep doing both for the rest of our lives. ‘Cause you know I’m with you ‘til the end of the line.” 

Steve let out a huff of happy laughter, his watery smile doubling in size as Bucky wiped at his eyes with his free hand.

“Fuck,” Bucky breathed out. “How am I supposed to top that, you punk?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Steve replied.

Bucky laughed and shook out his own piece of paper, using his free hand to flatten it against his chest and then hold it up to read from. “Y’know,” he started, looking up from the paper. “When I was writing these, I was kind of gearing up for my big love confession to you. I was, uh, I was gonna do it right here, in front of everyone. You kind of beat me to it, though.”

Steve’s brows shot up in surprise. He hadn’t expected that. His lips stretched even wider at the new information. That sure would have made some big reveal if it had happened like that.

“But in case you didn’t know, I love you, Stevie. I have for a really long time now. Funny thing is, though, I didn’t fall in love with you.”

Steve’s face scrunched up in confusion, and he narrowed his eyes curiously at Bucky, waiting for him to explain.

“I didn’t  _ fall _ in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way,” Bucky said. “That day we met?” He paused to grin at Steve and shake his head a little. “I chose you then, and I choose you now. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in every version of reality, I would always find you and I would always choose you.” 

In his chest, Steve’s heart swelled ten times bigger. It felt so full that it could just burst right there. The tears that he’d somehow managed to get under control before were back, balancing at the corners of his eyes, ready to spill over at whatever beautiful words Bucky said next.

“Standing here today is right where I want to be. It’s right where I’ve wanted to be for the past ten years, since I suggested we make that promise that got us here — and, thank you, by the way, for staying single,” Bucky added in jest. “That really would’ve put a damper on things.” 

An ugly sounding half laugh, half sob spilled from Steve’s lips, and his hand flew up to cover his mouth. Bucky just grinned wider at him.

“Today, I get to finally choose forever with you. I choose to struggle and succeed with you. To fight and make up with you. To love and grow old with you. And I choose you knowing that there are still paths we must travel and mountains we must climb.

“The future is uncertain— there’s no way for us to know what will happen next. But if there’s anything I can be absolutely certain about the future, it’s that I will always have you with me. I will  _ always _ be by your side.” The conviction in Bucky’s voice, the complete surity of his tone had Steve’s knees wobbling and the tears streaking down his cheeks.

“I promise that I will always be by your side. To always be your back up. To always patch up your cuts and bruises, and to always pay your bail,” Bucky teased, earning a laugh from the audience. “I promise to not complain too much when you wake up at five a.m. every morning for your daily run.” Another laugh. “I promise to always encourage and inspire you. To guide you when you need direction. To laugh with you when you’re happy and support you when you’re sad. To always make sure you feel safe, that you feel like you’re home. I promise to be your biggest fan and your most avid listener. I promise to follow you straight into the jaws of death, if it comes down to it.”

Steve’s fingers tightened around Bucky’s, and he wiped at his eyes, sniffling through his bright smile. He knew he was going to cry during this, but he really hadn’t been prepared for just how much. He should’ve known Bucky would move him to his very core with his vows.

“When it comes down to it, love isn’t about winning. It isn’t about losing, either. It’s about choosing. And I choose you, Stevie. ‘Til the end of the line, I always choose you.”

“Beautiful, gentlemen,” Nick said, looking a little misty eyed himself. Once he collected himself, he turned towards Sam and gave him a small nod. 

Sam stepped forward and held out the rings for Steve and Bucky to take for the next part. The rings they had chosen were a sleek silver with a darker stripe indenting around the center. Circling that stripe were dozens of tiny silver trinity knots . The trinity knots were what had really sold Steve on the rings. Three vesicae piscis made from one continuous line, symbolizing no beginning and no end, but infinity. 

“Steve and Bucky will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment to one another,” Nick announced. “Steve, please take Bucky’s hand and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a symbol of our love...”

“I give you this ring as a symbol of our love,” Steve repeated.

“... for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come…”

“For today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come.”

“... to wear as a sign of what we have promised on this day…”

“To wear as a sign of what we promised on this day.”

“... and know that my love is present…”

“And know that my love is present.”

“...even when I am not.”

“Even when I am not,” Steve finished. 

Nick gave a short nod, giving Steve his cue to place his ring.

With shaky hands, Steve managed to slide the ring onto the fourth finger of Bucky’s left hand without dropping it. He pushed the ring slowly past each of Bucky’s knuckles until it came to a stop at the base of his finger. Steve couldn’t help but marvel at it. It looked beautiful on him.

He and Bucky shared a watery smile, and then it was Bucky’s turn.

Bucky repeated the very same lines Steve had just recited, and then it was time for him to put his ring on Steve’s finger. It took him two tries to catch Steve’s finger due to both of their hands shaking from excitement, but finally, he was able to slide his ring down the fourth finger of Steve’s left hand.

As the ring came to a snug stop at the base of his finger, it felt like something in Steve’s heart clicked into place too. “I love you,” he mouthed to Bucky, then dropped his eyes back down to look at the ring. This one felt even more right than the engagement ring had.

“I love you, too,” Bucky mouthed back when Steve looked up again. “Not long ‘til I get to kiss you again,” he added with a cheeky grin.

Steve chuckled quietly to himself, and a thrill went up his spine at that. Bucky was right — all they had left now was the declaration of intent and then they would officially be married. Then they would be  _ husbands _ . God, Steve couldn’t wait. 

“Steve and Bucky,” Nick started. “The two of you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. You have symbolized your commitment to one another by exchanging rings. With all of this, there is just one question that remains.” Nick turned towards Steve. 

Steve straightened his posture and shifted his gaze from Bucky to the officiant.

“Do you, Steve Rogers, take Bucky Barnes to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to only him, for as long as you both shall live?”

Steve’s heart was pounding in his chest. His grip on Bucky’s hands tightened and he locked eyes with him. “I do.”

Nick turned to Bucky. “And do you, Bucky Barnes, take Steve Rogers to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to only him, for as long as you both shall live?”

Bucky’s lips pressed together as he started to nod, the flood of emotions clear across his face. “I do,” he said.

“Then by the power vested in me by the good state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss your groom.”

It was like two magnets drawn together as neither Steve nor Bucky wasted a single second before crashing their lips together. Bucky’s mouth was soft and warm and wonderful against Steve’s, and Steve felt a euphoric rush go through his body as he let himself get lost in the kiss. It was searing, it was passionate, it had Steve’s toes curling in his shoes. His arms came up around Bucky’s neck, and Bucky’s fell to his waist, and they held each other close as they kissed. 

Around them, their family and friends had all jumped to their feet, cheering and applauding for the happy couple.

After a reasonable few seconds, Bucky started to pull away, but Steve wasn’t ready to let go just quite yet. He brought his hands down to clutch at the lapels of Bucky’s suit jacket and pulled him back in.

Bucky laughed into Steve’s mouth, but welcomed the second kiss and returned it just as eagerly. 

“I love you,” Steve murmured against Bucky’s lips. It felt so good to say that out loud. To say it to his  _ husband _ . 

“I love you,” Bucky echoed, pressing his lips to Steve’s once, twice, three more times in quick succession before they finally broke apart. 

Steve rested his forehead against Bucky’s, their noses bumping as they grinned and laughed. He managed to sneak in one more kiss, and he snatched up Bucky’s hand in his own before the two of them turned to face the crowd.

The grin on Steve’s face stretched so wide across his cheeks they were starting to hurt. But he couldn’t even feel it. Not when all he could feel was the love and pure happiness coursing through his veins.

“Now,” Nick called over the uproarious applause. “It is my great honor and privilege to be the first to present to you, Mr. and Mr. Rogers-Barnes!”

  
  


The second Steve and Bucky exited the aisle and were away from the prying eyes of their family and friends, Bucky pushed Steve up against the nearest wall and pounced on him.

Steve laughed, bubbly and bright, as Bucky’s lips found his again. He felt Bucky’s hands push beneath his suit jacket, smoothing down his sides, fingers toying against a few of the buttons of Steve’s shirt. Steve let his own hands travel over Bucky’s back, all the way down to his ass, where they stopped and found their home.

“Mm, I love you,  _ husband _ ,” Bucky mumbled into Steve’s mouth.

“Love you, too,  _ husband _ ,” Steve replied, and  _ god _ , it felt so surreal to be calling Bucky his husband. Surreal, but so so good.

Bucky pressed closer, sliding his tongue against Steve’s bottom lip before licking into his mouth. He let one of his hands abandon the front of Steve’s shirt so it could glide down to Steve’s waist, then clutch at his thigh, pulling Steve’s leg up against his own wasit a little.

Steve was just about to pull back and suggest they take this back to one of the room’s they’d been in earlier when a throat cleared somewhere behind Bucky.

Reluctantly, Steve broke the kiss and peeked around Bucky, who threw a glance of his own over his shoulder, to find Peggy standing there. She had a hand on her hip and a chuffed expression on her face. Her lips were curled into a smirk as she eyed their risqué position. 

A flush bloomed across Steve’s cheeks, and he ducked his head into Bucky’s shoulder to hide his face from Peggy. 

“Congratulations, lovebirds,” she said. “I know the feelings are all very fresh, and I know it’s your wedding day, but I do believe you have somewhere you’re expected to be,” she continued, her expression turning stern. “And I  _ know _ you’ll have plenty of time to finish this later,” she added with a cheeky wink.

Steve felt his cheeks flame up even more.

“She’s right,” Bucky sighed, though his actions said otherwise. He leaned back in to steal a few more quick kisses from Steve. “I believe we’re expected on the dance floor,” he told Steve, flicking his eyebrows up at him.

Steve scrunched up his nose and tilted his head. “Y’know, I still don’t know how to dance,” he admitted, laughing softly. “Might step on your toes a little.”

“Aw, don’t you worry, doll. I’ll sweep you off of your feet, you won’t even need to know how to dance,” Bucky reassured, letting go of Steve’s thigh to take his hand instead. 

  
  


And sweep Steve off of his feet, Bucky did.

Right from the second they’d stepped foot in the Palm House, too. All their friends and family had cheered for them as the frontman of  _ The Guardians _ , the band they’d hired to play their wedding, announced their arrival, but Steve only had eyes and ears for his husband, who seemed to be in a similar state. 

The two of them stopped in the middle of the beautiful dance floor, and Bucky had pulled Steve close as the opening notes of Nat King Cole’s  _ I Love You For Sentimental Reasons _ filled the room. One of Bucky’s arms curled around Steve’s waist, the other cradling Steve’s hand to his chest.

Steve placed the hand not in Bucky’s onto his shoulder, and as the gentle crescendos of the singer started, Steve let himself be swept across the dance floor by Bucky.

They didn’t really speak during the dance, too caught up in each other.  The soft glow of the fairy lights above and the tealights on the tables illuminated the place, setting the very romantic atmosphere for the dance. Steve and Bucky’s eyes never wavered from one another’s, and the private smiles never left their lips as they swayed along to the music.

It truly was the perfect first dance.  

When the final notes of the song rang out, Steve tipped his head to capture Bucky’s lips in a chaste kiss, and the room burst into applause and loud cheers again. Steve was well aware of the pink flush covering his cheeks as he and Bucky exited the dance floor and made their way to their seats at the front of the room.

After the first dance, Steve and Bucky made their rounds to each and every table, thanking everyone for coming to share this special day with them. And by the time they finished with that, dinner was already being served. 

Dinner, too, went by in a flash, and before Steve knew it, Peggy was standing from her place at the table and raising her glass. She only had to give her glass three taps with her spoon before the whole room fell silent, all attention on her. It was almost frightening how good she and Sharon had been at that. Must be a Carter-women thing. 

“Good evening, everyone. I hope you’re all having a wonderful time and enjoying this very special day so far,” Peggy started. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Peggy Carter. I'm part of the wedding party. Steve asked me to be part of it, but I really am here for the both of them, seeing as they both are very dear friends of mine." Peggy sent the two of them a sweet smile. "I'd like to start by thanking Sharon Carter for helping these two men put together a fantastic wedding. It probably would have been a disaster without your help, so thank you."

Steve laughed at the dig, and Bucky leaned into his side to whisper, "She's probably right," into his ear.

"I'd also like to give another big thank you to the rest of the wedding party. As you will all agree, each one of them looks stunning tonight," Peggy said, gesturing towards the table where Natasha and Alice and the rest of the groomsmen sat. "And on behalf of the whole wedding party, I'd like to give the biggest thank you of all to Steve and Bucky for asking us to be involved in the most important day of their lives. It truly means the world to each one of us, and we all love you both."

"I've known Steve here for twelve years— two of which we spent as a couple ourselves," Peggy laughed and locked eyes with Steve. "And when you've known Steve for that long, it means you've known Bucky for that long as well, because those two are inseparable. They always have been. As you all can see, me and Steve didn't exactly work out. But I'm so glad for that. Because it means that Steve and Bucky were finally able to find each other."

Beside him, Bucky reached over to take Steve's hand into his own and give it a gentle squeeze.

Steve smiled over at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You know," Peggy continued. "Bucky has always been it for Steve. I don't know if he's told you this yet, Bucky, but Steve started dating me as a way to distract himself from his feelings for you."

A surprised noise slipped past Bucky's lips and his eyes flickered over to Steve's, searching for confirmation.

Steve gave a bashful shrug and nodded. "That's kind of true," he told him.

"It worked for a while," Peggy said with a chuckle. "But his feelings for you never truly went away, not really." She paused for a second before continuing on. "Over these years, I've had the opportunity to watch Steve grow and change and evolve into the wonderful man that sits before us today, and I am honored to get to call him my closest friend. He's smart, generous, caring. He has the biggest lion's heart of gold, and the most innate sense of goodness in him that he's willing to completely stand behind. He puts thought, effort, and dedication into everything he does, and I know Steve will approach his new role as Bucky’s husband in the very same way.

"Bucky, I cannot thank you enough for making Steve the happiest man. You're compassionate, you're loyal beyond belief, smart, funny, charming. It warms my heart to know that Steve will always have you by his side. You truly are everything he deserves, and I couldn't have hoped for a better man to be by my best friend's side."

Steve's hand flew up to his heart, and his brows pulled together as he sent Peggy a loving smile. "Thank you," he mouthed to her.

Peggy returned the expression for a moment before she turned back to the crowd, and a fond smile curved onto her lips. "You know," she started back up. "This whole wedding is kind of a funny story. I don’t know if all of you were aware, but this engagement started from a promise. A very dear promise made between two very hopeless, very drunk twenty year olds.” The crowd chuckled along with Peggy. “Little Steve and Bucky here decided that if they couldn’t find love by the time they were thirty they would marry each other. Sweet, isn’t it?” Peggy sent Steve and Bucky a warm look.

“The day Bucky proposed was Steve’s thirtieth birthday, and let me just say. It was probably one of the most romantic proposals I’ve ever seen. And I mean that. To all of us there, it merely looked like Bucky asking Steve to follow through with the promise they made all those years ago, but to them it was so much more. And to me, it never felt like anything less than one hundred percent genuine. These two bumbling idiots spent most of their engagement denying the fact that they were in love with the other— don’t even try to deny that now, Steve,” Peggy added, pointing a stern finger at Steve, who flushed and held his hands up in surrender. Beside him Bucky laughed into Steve’s shoulder. “My point is, these two were in love from the very beginning, and it was hard for anyone who wasn’t them to miss it."

"It took a while, it took a very long while, but they finally came to their senses— minutes before the wedding ceremony, might I add," Peggy laughed. "I couldn't be happier for the two of them, truly. Steve, Bucky," she turned to look at them. "May your love be modern enough to survive the times and be old fashioned enough to survive forever."

She lifted her glass into the air. "If everyone would raise their glasses now and join me in congratulating the beautiful couple. Congratulations. I love you both. To Steve and Bucky."

"To Steve and Bucky," the crowd echoed happily.

 

Following the speeches came the part of the reception Steve was most looking forward to: the cake.

Wanda had done an absolutely fantastic job with it. It was a simple three tiers, but she'd pulled out all the stops with the decorations. The bottom tier and the top tier both were a gorgeous navy blue, with cream colored sculpted vines running diagonally along the front of them. The vines were accented with a soft gold coloring, making them pop. The center tier was that lovely cream color again, but the entire surface was made to look like it was quilted, little gold drops in each dip between the diamonds. But by far, the most magnificent part of the entire cake was the abundance of flowers adorning it. Piled delicately onto the top, trimming the edges and corners— they were absolutely stunning. Steve was breathless just looking at them. There wasn't a single flower on the entire cake that didn't look one hundred percent real. It was simply awe-inspiring.

Steve almost didn't want to cut into it.

He did, however. Lifting the knife together, Steve and Bucky brought it down into the side of the cake, cutting a clean slice from it. Then setting the knife down, they picked up serving knife and carefully maneuvered the piece from the side of the cake.

It wobbled on the serving knife, and Steve brought a hand up to steady it. He glanced up at Bucky, who was already grinning back at him.

"Okay, you ready to see if this thing tastes as good as it looks?" Bucky asked.

Steve nodded. "Oh absolutely," he replied. He broke off the top half of the thin slice and let Bucky take the bottom half. Then they held the pieces up.

"Cheers," Steve laughed, knocking his hand into Bucky's.

"Cheers," Bucky replied.

And then they were lifting their pieces up to each other's mouths. Steve watched as Bucky parted his lips for Steve's piece, but Steve had slightly other plans. His lips took on a wicked curve as he shoved the piece into Bucky's face, smearing the frosting all over his mouth and nose and cheek.

A surprised squawk of laughter spilled from Bucky, his eyes going wide.

Steve laughed heartily at the shocked look on Bucky's face, but in his amusement, he failed to realize that Bucky's hand hadn't reached his own mouth yet. All of the sudden buttercream was being smeared across his face in retaliation.

“Cake war!” Tony shouted from somewhere in the crowd, and Steve and Bucky just laughed harder at that. The rest of their guests shared their amusement, happy laughter echoing through the building.

In the midst of their frosting facepaint, they did manage to eat the pieces of cake, and Steve sighed around his bite as the chocolate and raspberry flavors danced on his tongue.

Once he swallowed his bite he leaned into Bucky's space and pursed his lips for him, asking for a kiss.

Bucky obliged almost immediately. The kiss was frosting-y, and Bucky tasted like raspberries. Steve never wanted it to end.

Eventually they had to part, and the cake was whisked away to be cut so the amused guests could enjoy their own slice.

 

After that, it seemed like the rest of the evening positively flew by. Once the cake had been served and eaten, the dance floor opened up to everyone, and all of their family and friends crowded onto it with them.

They danced for hours it seemed, spinning through the classics, shaking it to some upbeat tracks, slowing things down with softer, more sentimental tracks. Steve and Bucky started off dancing with each other, but through the course of the night they were passed around their friends and family, dancing with everyone who asked and offered.

It was during one of the slower tracks towards the end of the evening that Steve and Bucky finally found themselves in each other's arms again. Steve had his arms looped around Bucky's neck, and Bucky's were secured around his waist. Their foreheads were pressed together as they swayed to the music.

"You know," Steve started, opening his eyes and leaning back a little so he could look into Bucky's. "I still can’t believe this actually happened. That it's  _ real _ ."

Bucky chuckled softly and turned them in a circle. "You better believe it," he replied, his lips curving up. "You’re all mine now, Rogers. And I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”

“That’s Rogers-Barnes, to you,” Steve shot back, grinning.

“You’re right. Mr. Rogers-Barnes," Bucky cooed. His eyes softened. "My beautiful husband."

“My beautiful husband,” Steve echoed, lifting his hand from around Bucky's neck so he could cup his cheek. He ducked his head and laughed again. “I love calling you that.”

“Are we going to be that really annoying couple that finds a way to include husband into every sentence we say for the next few weeks?” Bucky asked, a bemused look crossing his face.

“You bet your ass we are,” Steve responded. “Everyone’s going to positively hate us.”

“We'll be too happy to care," Bucky shrugged.

"I am," Steve said. "Happy.” And he meant it. There wasn’t anyone that ever made him as happy as Bucky did. Not now, not ever. “You make me so happy, Bucky."

"That's all I've ever wanted to do for you," Bucky replied. His eyes fluttered shut and he nudged his nose up against Steve’s. "I love you, Stevie."

A soft smile curved onto Steve’s lips and he bumped his nose back against Bucky’s. "I love you, too, Buck."

"Now c'mere, I wanna kiss my  _ husband  _ again," Bucky said, grinning as he leaned in, his lips already brushing against Steve's.

"Mm, as you wish,  _ husband _ ."

And Steve kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think with a kudos and a comment! 
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> Come say [hi](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/brooklynbabybucky)! :)
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> And come check out this cool [discord](https://discord.gg/8gybKrj) for marvel content creators!! You can find more information [here](https://marvelcreatorsnetwork.tumblr.com/) or feel free to ask about it in the comments!! :)


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